When The Bullet Hits the Bone
by scarlett2112
Summary: Katherine Mikaelson is brutally murdered in what appears to be a robbery gone bad... With the victim's sister contending there's more to her killing, a tenacious Texas Ranger begins a dogged pursuit of the truth no matter where it may lead.
1. Chapter 1

Friday November 2, 2017 is an ordinary day in Galveston, Texas —or so it seems. It's a week-day, and the morning began with the sun burning golden in an azure sky. But later on this November day, clouds move in over the city. They are a peculiar leaden gray-purple shading to black, full of unpredictable electrical impulses that make one's hair stand on end. It's going to rain, but it won't be a soft rain; it will be rain that thuds against the earth with a vengeance, forcing trees and bushes to the ground with the sheer weight of water, pounding the grass flat.

The entrance to the Lafitte's Cove subdivision is flanked by beautiful homes, and bears the name of the famous pirate. In November the Jacaranda trees are a froth of pale purple blossoms. Many of the summer flowers are now faded and won't return until next year.

One woman who lived in Lafitte's Cove was watchful, almost unconsciously moving often to the front windows of her home to scan the street for strange vehicles or for anyone she didn't recognize approaching her house. She had good reason to be leery, although she and her husband had taken every precaution to keep their address secret.

Most of the homes in Lafitte's Cove are owner-occupied, some lavish, some very comfortable, painted in the soft pastels of the Texas gulf coast, yellow, pink and even lavender—sunrise and sunset colors. With the beach nearby, the November air is usually drenched with the salty-clean smell caught in the wind as it races east toward the Gulf of Mexico.

* * *

The young couple had moved into their home on Windlass Circle in July 2017. They came from Virginia when the husband got a job offer that they simply couldn't say no to, as such, they needed a place to live in a hurry. Looking at their sweet twins, a boy and a girl, the landlord readily agreed.

His new renters were an attractive couple. Nik Mikaelson was a nice man with the wide grin and the innate charm of a seasoned salesman. His wife, Katherine, was delicately pretty and petite with long wavy chestnut hair. Nik did most of the talking, while Katherine seemed a little nervous. The landlord figured she had reason to be, their adorable toddlers were totally captivating, and it was obvious that their parents adored them.

Nik explained that they were in the process of building a much larger home in another Galveston subdivision so they could make do in cramped quarters until their house was finished in the spring.

No one in Galveston knew that the couple had left a dream house 1300 miles behind them in Richmond, Virginia. It had been their ideal house in a wonderful neighborhood, so large that the Lafitte Cove rental would fit inside twice over. They had barely had a chance to live in it when they felt a desperate urgency to move. And move they had - under cover of darkness.

Only a handful of people in Richmond knew where Nik, Katherine and their twins were. They agreed it was best to tell no one except for his family, her sister and aunt who helped them move out of Virginia in the dead of night.

Galveston was a beautiful place to live. There's a magical blending of sea and land. Had her circumstances been different Katherine would have loved its colorful history. Still, she looked forward to exploring it with her babies when things settled down.

There are sand castle contests, hunting sand dollars on the beach, the brew master's craft beer festival, haunted Galveston tours, Battle of the bay festival among many others. One day they hoped to be able to have normal contact with the people they love, but for the moment they couldn't. They could give their physical address to very few people, her sister who also lived in Texas and his parents. They might as well have been in a witness protection program. Although both Katherine and Nik came from loving families, they were essentially alone with the exception of her sister.

Ex navy seal -Niklaus Mikaelson was a details man — a pharmaceutical rep by trade, and he was very good at it. Because of it, he often had to travel away from home to call on hospitals in and along the east coast of Texas and into Louisiana.

Katherine Mikaelson was thirty and a stay at home mom. She had more than enough to do taking care of 18 month old twins. She had no friends in Galveston when they arrived in July but she was working on that. She had always had friends, and it saddened her to have to leave so many behind without an explanation, although she suspected most of them knew why she had fled.

* * *

November 2nd was a run of the mill day, but only in the context of Katherine Mikaelson's life. In truth there were no ordinary days - not for her; she had lived with fear so long that it seeped like acid into any peace she might attain, corroding her thoughts, sending jets of adrenaline pumping through her veins. No matter how the sun shone or how balmy the winds wafting off the gulf were, she never really felt safe unless she was inside the house with the doors and windows locked, sealing her little family inside. Those who didn't know her likely wondered if she might be just a little eccentric. Those who knew her story understood, but they were far away and didn't know how to find her, save for her sister. It was safer that way—safer for them and safer for her, Nik and their babies.

Only months earlier they had lived in Richmond, where they owned a beautiful old Victorian home. Now it seemed as though they had never lived there at all. But at least she still had Nik, and he loved and protected her and their babies.

On November 2, 2017, Nik was on the road north of Galveston, planning to visit several hospitals. It was a Friday, and he had promised to be home before sunset. They would have the weekend together and in addition to romance, they made plans to take the kids to the beach to dip their toes into the Gulf. Katherine had no doubt that they would spend the rest of their lives together.

She was half right.

* * *

Elena Gilbert, Katherine's little sister and his parents were the only people entrusted with the physical address of the home in Lafitte's Cove. Five years younger, she's petite framed with chestnut hair, much like her older sister, they'd been mistaken for twins many times.

Elena was in a wonderful mood as she hurried to Katherine's house to spend some time with her niece and nephew but she also had some news to share. She's been offered a promotion at work, one she's been working very hard to achieve. It was just after 3:00 that Friday afternoon when Elena pulled into the driveway.

The front door was ajar, and that was strange; her sister was adamant that they were to remain locked at all times. Katherine didn't have a lot of rules, but safety was a priority and that was something she wouldn't compromise.

Afterwards Elena would remember that she couldn't explain the first thing she saw when entering the house. Noah and Nadia were standing in the hallway crying as if their hearts would break. That alone was strange, Katherine never let them cry; she always picked them up. Their tiny faces were red and puffy. Elena thought they must have been crying for some time already. What made the least sense to her were the dark red specks on their skin, hair and on their feet. Both had swaths of the same color, as if someone had dipped a brush in red paint and stippled it on their skin.

Shock and disbelief often block the mind from accepting what the eyes perceive. Even so, Elena's dread was so great that there was a thunderous pounding in her ears. She patted the wailing toddlers absentmindedly then went looking for her sister, calling out for her as she moved through the house.

Her own voice seemed to echo and bounce back from the walls. She checked the backyard and found no one there. She kept calling for her sister, and no one answered. The sense of dread was growing with each thundering pound of her heart. There was a funny smell in the house too - a hard, sweet iodine- like metallic odor - a smell Elena did not recognize...

* * *

_I'm not quite done writing this story but I wanted to give you a taste. We have anywhere from 2-4 chapters left to write, more will post once it's completed. _

_This is loosely based on one of my favorite true crime author Ann Rule's books. (Sadly she passed away in 2015 but every one of her books are page-turners if you like the genre. Actually other than "Helter Skelter', she's the only true crime author I've read. My personal favorites are "The Stranger Beside Me" about Ted Bundy and "And Never Let Her Go". _

_Let us know your thoughts. _

_Have a terrific evening and thanks for everything. _


	2. Even in Death

_"My sister's dead," the sobbing woman tells the 9-11 dispatcher as the toddlers wail in the background. "There's blood from the kitchen all the way to. … Oh my God, who would do this?"_

_"Why do you think she'd dead?"_

_"Her throat's been cut, __and I don't know what else, there's blood everywhere. __She's so cold. Please I need help."_

_"Stay on the line mam, the police are on their way, you should hear their sirens momentarily." _

_"I hear them. I'm going to hang up," Elena lets the phone drop, picks up the toddlers and runs outside to meet the police._

Elena wipes her tears with the butt of her palm. She's watching the uniformed men roaming in and out of her sister's home, carrying paper bags full of evidence. Swallowing thickly at the thought of them going through her personal, private things, unpacking the boxes that Katherine hadn't yet found time for...

_And now she never will..._

Her hands fist at her sides in a futile attempt to calm herself. She's been told to stand back, she's already given her statement but was asked not to leave. After trying several times, she finally was able to make contact with her brother in law. And now she waits impatiently for him to get home. Her eyes scan the property and then land on Texas Ranger Damon Salvatore who's talking to one of the other detectives. As if sensing he's being observed, he looks up and meets her stare. Even from this distance, she can see how blue they are.

Turning away, she wants to know what's taking so long, what are they all still doing here? Why is_ he _still here? She knows why, they're hoping she can help them do their work - to find whoever did this. In her thoughts, she feels it had to have been a man who pulled the trigger and let the bullet crash into her skull, splashing her blood and brain matter all over the floor that Katherine was so excited about just a few weeks ago.

How could she call the number and invite these men, the heartless bastards into her sister's sanctuary to ruin the remnants of what was once, despite their circumstances a happy place?

_Elena's crying, only looking up when she hears the sound of an approaching vehicle. A dark haired man steps out, carrying himself with authority. He asks one of the officers something and when he points at her, Damon gives her a cursory look then approaches the officer who arrived at the house first. _

"Elena? What's going on here?" she hears her brother in law's voice and runs over to him. Elena wraps her arms around him and her tears fall yet again. "She's dead, Nik. Katherine's dead."

"No," he shakes his head. Hearing a sudden racket, they look up as_ her_ body is being wheeled out on a cart to the awaiting ambulance for transport to the police morgue. The twins, in the care of a female officer start to fuss when they see their dad but he doesn't notice, he runs over to it not wanting to believe that _his_ Katherine is in the body bag.

"Please, she's my wife," he pleads with the officer, his own eyes now glistening with unshed tears.

"Sir, you don't want to see your wife like this," Detective Parker pulls him aside, allowing the body to be put in the vehicle. Nik stands in shock, watching absently as the doors slam shut and it drives away. "We need to ask you a few questions," the cop continues.

"Me? I didn't do this, I've been gone all day."

Damon shares a look with Enzo at his proclamation of innocence.

"I kissed my wife goodbye and I told her we'd watch a movie together this evening with our kids," Niklaus states emphatically.

"It's standard procedure, Mr. Mikaelson. Please?"

"Do I need a lawyer?" Nik asks, in shock and not yet comprehending the violence that's happened here.

"If you would like a lawyer, that's your choice."

"I swear I didn't do this. I love my wife. Oh God, she can't be dead," his face contorts in pain as the officer leads him to the other side of the house and out of her line of sight.

Elena picks up Noah and hugs him close. She's angry that her sister won't get to see her beautiful babies grow up. Dead is permanent. Dead is forever. Dead is when the spark in the eyes is extinguished, like a fire utterly without smoke. She looks over at Nadia who's content playing with a female officer and wonders what will happen to them. Will Nik take them and move away, back to his parents lavish estate? With her mind a million miles away, she doesn't notice Ranger Salvatore's approach.

"Miss Gilbert, can I ask you a few questions?" he asks and she hates the look of pity on his face.

"I already told them everything I know," she considers his crisp looking black suit.

"Is there anyone we can call for you?"

When Noah starts to cry "da", she tries to calm him down. "They're hungry, Katherine probably has bottles made in the refrigerator," she looks at another female officer.

"Alright, I'll asks someone to check, I'm Officer Tulle," she takes Noah and walks over to a plain clothed officer who nods and goes inside, returning with two bottles after getting an okay from the lead detective.

"Miss Gilbert?"

"I'm sorry what did you say?" Elena replies absently.

"Is there anyone I can call for you? Parents?"

"My parents are dead, I have my Aunt Jenna and her husband. They live in Houston. I didn't even think to call her," she pulls her phone out of her pocket. "The battery's dead." she shakes her head, wanting to curl up under her bed covers at how horrible this day has been.

"Here," Damon hands her his phone.

"Thanks," she dials and waits for her aunt to answer but Ric does instead. She figures that's better anyway, knowing her aunt will likely collapse. Jenna was 35 years old when she got custody of the Gilbert girls after their parents died. She and Ric had a ten year old son, Jeremy when suddenly they were saddled with two young girls to raise. Despite the occasional hard times, learning to get used to each other and despite sometimes being tight on funds, they were a happy family.

"Ric, it's Elena," she struggles yet again to keep her tears at bay

_"Did you get a new number?"_

"No, mine died, I'm using the cop's phone," Elena looks at Damon.

_"What's wrong, I can tell by your tone of voice?"_

"Ka...K.. Katherine's been murdered. I'm at the house. The police and even a Texas Ranger are here."

"_Oh my God!" _

There's silence on the other end of the line for a moment.

"Ric?"

_"The twins?"_ he croaks.

"The babies are okay, they're going to take them to the hospital to check them out but they seem okay."

_"No, Elena, it can't be true, it can't,"_ Ric's voice sounds like he's had the wind punched out of him. _"Do they know anything?" _

"Not yet."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"I found her Ric, it was horrible, blood all over," Elena breaks down. "Look I have to go, the ranger needs his phone."

_"We'll come to your place, Jenna has a key. Nik's gonna need help with the kids. Where will you be?"_

"I'm going with the babies to the hospital, why don't you come there?"

_"Sure, I... I don't know what to say, I'm at a loss..." _

Elena blows out a breath, "Bye," and clicks off the phone. "Here you go," deeply shaken, she hands it back to Damon.

"Damon," Enzo pulls him aside.

"The killer was sloppy, there are bloody fingerprints, a palm print, a knife, a bullet shell casing. Some of my men are reporting that the neighbors saw a suspicious looking man wearing dark clothes, face shielded by a hoodie near the house this morning."

"So our killer is likely an amateur?" Damon deduces by the amount of evidence left at the scene. "I'm going to talk to Miss Gilbert."

Enzo nods and returns to his men.

"Do you have any idea who would commit such a crime?" Damon steps in beside Elena again, his pen and notepad in hand.

"I don't know who would do this. I'm the only one who knew where she lived, they didn't even want me to tell my aunt and uncle."

"Why is that?" Damon asks, looking into her big brown blood shot eyes.

"Her ex lover, they had a pretty tumultuous breakup. Things really escalated with him so she and Nik packed their things and moved here."

"Do you know anything about him?"

"No, not really. Katherine met him and fell head over heels. She packed her bags and moved to Virginia, she was very secretive about him," Elena shakes her head. "She confided in me once that he was married but he was going to divorce that woman and marry her or at least that's what he led her to believe. The only thing she let slip was a first name."

"And what was that?" Damon asks, his eyes focused squarely on hers.

"Wes..."

* * *

_We really do try to do our research when we write our stories to keep them as accurate as we can. I can remember how much we put into writing "Tomorrow". And every story. Sometimes though, I don't know the search criteria or the right words to google and end up frustrated. I do not know the criteria for bringing a Texas Ranger into a case but I wanted that to be Damon's career. When I set a story in a certain place, I always research things to do in that place. As you can imagine, a lot of research always goes into our DE historical series. Please forgive my mistakes if any of you know the answer, pm me and I'll try to correct it. _

_Chapter title: 'Even in Death' by Evanesence._

_It's double update day - continue onto chapter 3._


	3. Gone Too Soon

**_Double update day, don't miss chapter 2. _**

* * *

_"But Katherine, what do you know about this guy?" Elena moves to block her sister from leaving the room. _

_"He loves me, Elena. Look what he gave me?" she lifts a pendant from beneath her shirt. It's an infinity symbol encrusted with diamonds._

_"What's it supposed to mean?" Elena looks at her, concerned about her normally level headed older sister. _

_"We're going to be together forever," her eyes drop dreamily to the pendant as she runs the pad of her index finger over the shimmering stones._

_"Who is he? What do you know about him?" _

_"Elena, I love him. Now get out of my way," Katherine picks up her suitcase. _

_"I think you should at least talk to Uncle Ric and Aunt Jenna... Please, Katherine?" _

_"No, they'll just try to talk me out of it. Now either step aside or I'll climb out the window, Wes is waiting." _

_"That's his name, Wes?" _

_Katherine sucks her bottom lip between her teeth. "Forget you heard that, now move," she pushes Elena out of the way, runs down the steps and out of the house. Elena hurries after her, arriving just as the Mercedes is pulling away. She catches the Virginia license plate that's it. The Mercedes is gone before she can commit the numbers to memory. _

* * *

"Mr. Mikaelson, can you tell us where you were today?" Enzo asks, setting a bottle of water on the table for the distraught man as they sit in one of the precinct's interrogation rooms.

"I'm a pharmaceutical rep but I also do health care consulting, I give in-services about how to improve customer satisfaction and how hospitals can save money. I visited several in Baytown, Beaumont, Passadena and Port Arthur. I called Katherine from Beaumont. I swear I didn't hurt my wife, I would never."

"Do you know of anyone who'd want her dead?" Enzo watches as he opens the water bottle and takes a long swallow.

"She had an affair, relocated to Virginia. The guy was manipulative as hell, kept her on a string with extravagant gifts, expensive meals etc. He paid for most of her needs but she wanted something to do, so she got a job at the hospital's Starbucks. That's where we met."

"Do you know his name?"

"That's the funny thing, she wouldn't tell me, said I was safer if I didn't know. We eloped when we found out she was pregnant, both of us were thrilled. As soon as we got a place together, she'd complain she was being followed and that she'd see him parked outside the apartment watching her when I wasn't there. It got to the point where she was scared to leave the place. We moved to a new house, big enough for the babies, we knew we were having twins by then. We had a few months of peace but then Katherine started to notice strangers hanging around again. That's why we packed up our belongings and left in the middle of the night. We had a few close friends to help us but other than her sister, Elena, and my parents, no one knew we were here. And even so, yes, he was annoying but I don't know that he'd be so obsessed that he'd kill her... If it was this man, I don't know how he found us?" Nik drops his face in his hands till he gets control of his emotions.

"Alright, Mr. Mikaelson, you're free to go, but we'd like you to stay in the area in case we have more questions."

"Sure, where are my children?"

"They're at the hospital, they were covered in blood... we wanted to make sure they weren't injured. I'll have one of my men drive you over there."

Nik gets up and twists the doorknob, but before stepping out, he looks back at Enzo. "Find the bastard who butchered my wife."

"We will," Enzo nods and follows the bereaved man out of the interrogation room.

* * *

Damon looks up at the sound of a knock on his door. "Enzo, come in," he gestures with his hand.

"I interviewed the husband. I don't believe that he had anything to do with it. I know people can fake emotions but he has an air tight alibi, not only from the hospitals but we were able to triangulate his cellphone signals, he was exactly where he said he was."

"We got a hit on the partial print through AFIS, a Markos Barstow. He has a long record of petty crimes, starting at 18."

"Which means his juvenile record was probably expunged when he turned 18. What else do you have?"

"He has a West Virginia address, as he got older, his crimes became more serious. Spent two years in prison for assault."

"I already put out an APB, sent a directive to Huntington PD, I'm waiting for a call from their chief, a guy named Fell."

"Did the husband know anything about someone named Wes? Her sister mentioned that our vic had an affair with him and that she was the only one who knew where they lived so how did this Markos guy find them?"

"We checked the airlines and bus companies. He didn't fly here or take a bus, he drove himself. One of the neighbors wrote down a license plate number when they saw a guy drive through the neighborhood a couple of times like he was "casing it out" his words. He jotted them down when he saw the car again, this time parked up the street from the Mikaelson's home. A little later he saw a guy run down the block, and that same car speed away. When we traced the place, it belongs to a Sloane Barstow, the sister of our suspect."

"Excellent. But we still need to know how this guy found them and did he have a gripe with Mrs. Mikaelson?"

"That's the million dollar question isn't it?"

"We need to find out about this Wes guy too... but how when we don't have a last name, only that Katherine Mikaelson followed him to Virginia."

"I've already talked to the Richmond police. I have a couple of men on their way to the airport, they'll meet them there and plan the next move."

"Good, keep me up to speed."

"That's my job," Enzo nods and leaves the office. Damon watches till the door closes then turns back to the file, wondering who would exact such violence on a beautiful young mother. Damon fists his free hand at the thought of those two babies, running around in her blood. Sighing, he sets the report down then grabs his jacket to head down to the morgue to talk to Dr. Lockwood about the autopsy.

* * *

Upon returning from the morgue, Damon learned that Katherine Mikaelson was shot in the face with a .45 caliber weapon and slit her throat twice, most likely in full view of her children. Just as he's about to step back inside his office, he hears his name.

"Ranger Salvatore, I need to know if you have any leads?" Elena approaches him, going inside when Damon opens the door and outstretches his arm, gesturing for her to go first.

"Miss Gilbert, we're..." he starts but she cuts him off.

"I know about the first 48, you need to find and punish whoever did this to Katherine. You questioned Nik for hours and me too, we didn't do it," she reaches into her bag and pulls out a Kleenex to dab her eyes. "Have you learned anything?"

"I'm well aware of how the clock works, Miss Gilbert and we do have some leads but I'm not at liberty to spill the goods as it were. We have to keep things underwraps, things that only the killer would know so we can use that to nail him or her."

"You think a woman could have done this?" she looks at him incredulously.

"Miss Gil..."

"Call me Elena," she wobbles and grabs the edge of his desk to keep from falling. "Have you learned anything about Wes?"

"You didn't really give us anything to go on but a first name and that he's from Virginia."

"How many Wes's are there this day an..." Elena spits then the next second her eyes roll back in her head. Damon jumps up to catch her before she crashes to the floor...

* * *

Sometime later, Elena awakens confused to her surroundings. Slowly, she raises up to meet the eyes of Ranger Salvatore.

"What happened? Why am I here?" she looks at him confused to find herself in a hospital gown with a monitor attached to her chest.

"You fainted, the ambulance brought you here."

"This is ridiculous. I need to get out of here, Nik needs help with the babies."

"Your brother in law knows where you are. Detective St. John called him."

"You need to stop concentrating on the two of us and find who did this," she snaps at him.

"Miss Gilbert, I didn't say we didn't have any leads, you fainted before I could tell you anything. I will tell you that a neighbor saw something but I'm not at liberty to say what that was. We did find some evidence at the crime scene too. We have men working on that right now," Damon explains, trying to keep his voice even, he knows the woman is grieving for her sister.

"I just miss her so much," Elena drops her head and whimpers softly. Damon, seeing her body shake and not really knowing what to do or how to comfort the young woman, gets up and takes her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"I'm very sorry, Elena, I can't imagine what you must feel but you have my word, we will find and punish who did this. Your sister will get justice."

Elena wipes her eyes with her free hand and looks up. She doesn't let go of his hand, liking the warmth he gives her. "I promise you that I'll be your biggest pain in the ass until you get the person or persons who slaughtered my sister."

Damon smiles, meeting her eyes. "I'm looking forward to it," he says with a slight grin on his face, surprised that he really means it. "I need to get back to work. Get some rest, Elena."

"Can you send the nurse in, I need to get home?"

"Sure," Damon nods, raises his hand in a short wave then walks out of her room. Elena watches till the door closes with a light snap.

* * *

The next afternoon, Damon is about to leave the station to go to court on another case when when he hears Enzo's breathy voice coming from behind.

"Good news," Enzo starts, handing Damon a file.

"The police in West Virginia found the car. It was a treasure trove of evidence. They found directions to the Mikaelson home, bloody clothes and a .45. They're sending it so we can do ballistics testing."

"What about our perp?"

"He was nowhere to be found and the sister was tight- lipped." Enzo shakes his head.

"So they threaten to charge her with conspiracy, she'll talk," Damon looks at pictures of the vehicle's interior, smudges of blood on the upholstery, and the .45 laying on the floor below the passenger seat.

"That's exactly what they're going to do."

"Good work Enzo, I have to get to court, I'm going to give a call to her family, tell her we're getting somewhere without being specific."

"I know I don't have to tell you to be careful..." Enzo quirks his brows.

"No, no you don't," Damon nods at him, takes the file and hurries into the courtroom annex of city hall, the double doors swinging closed behind him.

* * *

_AFIS - Automated Fingerprint Identification System._

_Thank you so much for reading and the warm welcome to this story. Your support is appreciated so so much. _

_Thank you Eva. You're the best-est._

_Chapter title: 'Gone Too Soon' by Daughtry._

_We hope you have a truly wonderful day. We'll see you next time. _


	4. Of Aurora and Belle

_"Okay, Katherine, hold still so I can put this blonde wig on," Aunt Jenna lifts her onto the countertop. Once the hair is perfect, Jenna reaches for her tube of pink lipstick and puts a little on her cheeks for blush and to color the little girl's lips. Lastly, she sprinkles some shimmer powder over her niece then lifts her down to work on Elena. As soon as she finishes her magic on her younger niece, Jenna hands them each a pumpkin basket then the three of them leave to go trick or treating._

_"Who are you?" their neighbor Honoria Fell asks when she opens the door._

_"I'm Aurora you know, Sleeping Beauty?" Katherine holds out her pumpkin, thanking the woman when she drops some Hershey bars into it. _

_"And you?" Honoria drops some candy into Elena's bucket too._

_"I'm Belle," Elena spins around showing off her yellow, ankle length costume dress. _

_"Me in the company of such pretty princesses," Honoria winks at Jenna. _

_"Thank you," she smiles at the older woman and nudges the girls to move on when another group of kids come to get treats from her. _

_When they pass a little boy and girl dressed as bride and groom, Katherine stares at them until they turn the corner. _

_"What's the matter?" Elena tugs on her sleeve so they can catch up with their aunt. _

_"Someday, I'm going to marry prince charming," Katherine smiles and grins at her little sister. "Race ya," she squeals and takes off running with Elena hurrying after her. _

"Beep, beep, beep," the alarm sounds, startling Elena awake. She glances at the time then flops back onto the pillow. Feeling something hard beneath her shoulder, she pulls it out. Sighing, she reaches up to swipe away the tears that immediately form. It's the picture Jenna took of the two of them that Halloween when she was 4 and Katherine was 9. It seems forever ago now. Then her thoughts go to Noah and Nadia and her sorrow morphs into anger that Katherine will never be able dress her kids in Halloween costumes or take them trick or treating.

Knowing she won't get back to sleep she gets up, showers and hurries downstairs to help with the kids. She, Nik and the kids have all been staying with Ric and Jenna. They will till after the funeral. Then she'll have to return to Galveston to her job or maybe she can take a leave of absence to help with her niece and nephew? That's something she'll have to discuss with her boss.

Finding Jenna in the kitchen, she pulls a cup out of the cupboard and pours herself a cup of coffee. "Are the little ones still sleeping?" she sits down at the table with her aunt.

"Yeah, I changed their diapers and fed them about an hour ago. Nik went to his office to see how much time he can take off and obviously he doesn't want to return to that house so he wanted to see about finding another place or an apartment in Galveston to rent. I didn't mention it but they had a contract, he'll have a place once it's finished being built. And yet that was supposed to be _their _home. I can't help but wonder how he feels or what he'll do."

"They can stay with me too, I'll have to talk to him about everything," Elena takes a swallow from her mug.

"Elena, you only have a two bedroom place, I don't think it'll be big enough."

"We can get their cribs out of the house and set them up in my room. Nik could have the other one. I want to help, Aunt Jenna, they're all I have left of my sister and damnit, I'm furious about it."

"Good, you should be angry. When they find who did this, it'll take more than cell bars to stop me," Jenna fumes, gets up and refills both their mugs.

"Are you okay watching them for a little while? I need to get something to wear to the funeral and I want to check in with police, see if there's anything new."

"Surely they'd keep us informed?" Jenna squeezes her hand.

"I would hope so but I told Ranger Salvatore in not so many words that I was going to be a burr under his saddle until they catch her killer."

"And what did he say to that?" Jenna smiles.

When his image pops into her head, Elena smiles too for the first time since she found her sister's body, "He said he looks forward to it."

* * *

Sitting back in his chair, Damon goes through the evidence they have so far. The two policemen that Enzo sent to West Virginia have talked to their suspect's sister. She denies knowing anything about her brother's alleged crime and claims she never heard of a Katherine Mikaelson. According to the report, she says she's never even left the State. Her brother has yet to be found, seems after returning her vehicle, he took off for parts unknown. They've sent an APB to the border patrol in case he tries to get into Mexico or Canada and to almost every police department from West Virginia to California and beyond.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, he grabs his jacket and leaves the building with the intention of walking through the house so he can try to piece together in his mind how it all played out. "Enzo, come on," Damon gestures at him to follow.

When they arrive at the house, the uniformed officer unlocks the place for them. Damon feels the hairs on the back of his neck bristle but it's not like this is the first homicide scene he's been to. Still the thought of those babies, running around in their mother's blood is chilling to him. After slipping on a pair of rubber gloves, they start their walk through again.

"You found a bullet casing but did you find the bullet?" Damon asks, his hands on his hip.

"Yes," Enzo nods his head.

"We know where her body was, let's get one of our forensic technicians to map out the trajectory of the bullet."

"We did that already," Enzo explains. "The bullet went into her face and cheekbone, went out the base of her neck through the dining room wall into the bedroom then struck that mirror and we pulled it out of the wall here," he takes Damon to show him the path of the bullet.

Cupping his chin with his hand, Damon studies the mirror and then Enzo pushes the dresser away and shows them where they found the bullet. "Good work," he says then continues his careful perusal of the physical evidence, the blood, now dried, is still painting the floor, the cabinets and the walls. The coppery smell permeates the room, there is laundry scattered all over the floor that Mrs. Mikaelson was laying on.

Stopping down, Damon uses his pen to move the blood-stained clothing around, then he runs his gloved finger along the underside of the cupboard, jerking it back when he gets a sliver. Getting on his knees, he looks at the spot and smiles when he finds another bullet embedded in the wood. "Enzo! here," he waves him over.

"How did my people miss that?" Enzo's shocked.

"Don't beat yourself up, can you see it from where you're standing? I only found it because of a sliver," he grimaces and pulls out the little piece of wood. "Get me a tweezer and an evidence bag."

Enzo returns and hands the items to him, Damon carefully extricates the bullet and drops in the bag. After spending a little more time at the house, they leave to go back to the office and log it into the evidence file.

* * *

A short while later, Enzo shows up in Damon's office. "We got something on the husband. It seems they took out an insurance policy when they moved here, making the surviving spouse the beneficiary of the estate."

"Get him in here so we can question him. This certainly puts a new wrinkle in the case," Damon shakes his head. "Do we know anything on Barstow yet? Is there any other family that might be a little more cooperative than the sister?"

"No, sister's his only living relative. Our perp seems to have vanished into thin air. And I can't bring Mikaelson in today, it's her funeral."

"We'll find him, I promised Miss Gilbert that her sister would get justice. We're keeping that promise," Damon glances at his watch, "I'm going to make an appearance, you coming?" he slips his jacket and hat on then with Enzo on his heels, they jump into his mustang and head to the church.

* * *

Wednesday November 7, 2017

The sun is shining brightly as it did only 5 days ago. The day should be cold, damp and the air silent. But the birds still sing and trees still bloom. Elena walks through the churchyard like a silhouette of herself, wishing she was as insubstantial as the shadows so that her insides don't feel so mangled. With Ric, Jenna, Jeremy accompanying her, they walk inside and take their seats. Her tears have dried, having been replaced by anger and the vow she made herself that her sister will get justice for what was done to her.

Looking to her right, she sees Nik along with his parents, the twins, Finn, Kol, Elijah and Rebekah all here to support their brother. His father looks over, giving her a silent nod and then takes his wife's hand.

Her eyes raise when the organ starts playing, the aroma of frankincense fills her nostrils. Inside she feels a plethora of emotions, numbness, emptiness, pain, but anger is the predominant one.

Words from the celebrant, speeches at the service, especially from uncle Ric and aunt Jenna, nearly undo her resolve not to cry. Nik's brother Elijah's words are just as poignant, telling the story about how her sister tamed the irrepressible Niklaus Mikaelson.

When the ceremony continues after the eulogies, Elena looks around, her brows lifting when she meets Ranger Salvatore's blue eyes staring right into her brown ones. He nods and she returns the gesture. For whatever reason, it means something that he's here to show her sister the respect she deserved not only in life but also in death.

* * *

After the service they all meet in the church hall to have a meal. Elena's outside chatting with her friend Caroline when she happens to notice the two officers walking towards the parking lot. "Excuse me Caroline, I want to talk to them," she points at Damon and Enzo then hurries to catch up, reaching them as they're opening the car doors.

"Miss Gilbert," Damon takes his hat off. "How can we help you?"

"Ma'am," Enzo nods.

"I just wanted to say that it was a nice gesture for you to show up today. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Damon slips his hat back on his head.

"Anything new? It's been 5 days, well past those 48 hours," she looks at Damon.

"Look, Miss Gilbert," he stops when she raises her palm.

"Please call me Elena, and can you tell me anything?"

"I can tell you we have a suspect but this person isn't in custody yet. We have notified the FBI, police all over the country. We won't rest until we find and make Katherine's killer face justice."

"I'm holding you to it," her eyes drift from Damon to Enzo. "Thanks again for making an appearance, I need to get back to my family," she turns on her heels and walks off.

Damon and Enzo watch until she disappears inside the building, "I don't think she's kidding," Enzo chuckles and slides into the passenger seat.

"Oh she means it alright," Damon turns the key and drives away, knowing that he'll do whatever it takes to keep his promise to Elena.

* * *

Damon's face is buried in a report when suddenly the sound of a door slamming commands his attention. Looking up, he pushes back on the chair and stands up. "Elena, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" she repeats herself. "How dare you bring my brother in law in here to give him the third degree? He's grieving, he has babies to care for. He didn't kill Katherine," she spews, her face red with anger.

"Elena, often the killer is someone the victim knows..."

"That may be but it's not true in this case. Nik was crazy in love with my sister. He treated her like an angel."

He swallows a comment that under the right circumstances even the most in love husbands could... "Enzo is just asking him about some information we only just became aware of. We haven't charged him with anything," Damon tries to placate her.

"What information?"

"I'm not at liberty to say. You'll have to ask him."

"You're infuriating," she tightens her lips.

"Elena, you told me you were going to make sure we're covering all the bases. How would you feel if I just ignored what could be a lead simply because it's uncomfortable for you? I understand your anger, it's righteous but I have to do my job - for Katherine."

She deflates visibly. "He didn't do it, I trust him implicitly."

"I hope you're correct, I really do," Damon sits down when she takes a seat.

"Have you found anything out on Wes?"

"It's hard to find someone when all we know is a first name."

"As much as the thought of going back into that house kills me, maybe I can find something in her stuff and we could use the cribs if that's possible?"

"I'll take you over there whenever you're ready."

"I'll never be ready to go back into that blood bath but if I can find something that helps you find her killer, I'll do it a heartbeat."

"Do you want to go now or pick a date?"

"Now's as good a time as any," she drops her eyes when her gut erupts with a churning sensation. Elena stands and takes a deep breath, rubs her clammy hands over her jeans, then grabs her keys and her purse. She lets out another breath, trying to gather her courage, before walking to the door.

* * *

_Thank you all so much for all the reviews, follows and favorites. It means so much that people still love Damon and Elena. I haven't watched any reruns for awhile but they'll always be in my heart - Eva's too. _

_We'll see you next week with chapter 5 and a little something for Valentine's Day. _


	5. I Promise

"How many times do I have to repeat myself, I didn't kill my wife," Nik pounds the table with his fist. "You're wasting all this time raking me over the coals while the real killer is getting to live his life."

"We're not accusing you, Mr. Mikaelson, we just want to know about the insurance policy."

"Katherine and I took them out together. Her signature on the forms is valid and you can take that to a forensic document examiner if you don't believe me. If I had died first, she would've inherited everything, and believe me, if I could turn back the clock or take her place I would. The next time you ask me to come here for questioning, I'm bringing an attorney along," Nik fumes, his hands fisted so hard that his knuckles are white.

"From my vantage point, it seems rather convenient that the policy was taken out mere weeks before the murder..."

"You don't give up do you?"

"Do you own a gun?"

"Yes, we have a gun in the house but if it was the murder weapon, you'd have charged me by now." Nik glares at Enzo.

"Is it registered in your name?" Enzo continues unabated.

"Yes."

"Where do you usually keep that gun - the one that you own?"

"We kept it in my bedside table just in case."

"Back to the policy, you're the sole beneficiary?" Enzo looks at Nik.

"You already know the answer to that."

"Financially, you won't be hurting after this? I mean, she was worth more dead than alive."

"Are you suggesting - again - that I killed my wife? You're saying that I shot her, slashed her throat and left her to bleed out in front of my babies? How dare you!"

"Mr. Mikaelson," Enzo starts but is cut off by Nik's fury.

"You find this man! You find this man! He took everything from me. Oh, Jesus," Nik breaks down, drops his head and threads his fingers through his hair as his body trembles in agony.

* * *

When they arrive at the house, Elena sits in Damon's car for several minutes just staring at the place. Her anxiety feels like she's being hooked up to an electric cattle fence - not enough voltage to kill but sufficient to keep her uncomfortable. She suspects that's the downside of knowing things are awry instead of living in blissful ignorance. But what is there to do other than breathe, walk and continue to get out of bed everyday?

"Elena?"

Damon's voice pulls her out of whatever spell she was under when he opens her car door.

"Are you sure you can do this? If you want to stay out here, I will ask Officer Bradley to help me disassemble the cribs and we'll bring them out."

"No, I'm going in," Elena sucks in a deep breath to steel her spine, gets out of the car and follows Damon. As they get closer to the front door, it feels like the world is slowly disappearing in front of her. Or maybe it was just her who was fading away? Her empty burning lungs and her heart is hitting her chest so hard she wonders if it will break her ribs and rip apart her skin.

"You don't have to do this," Damon turns around before opening the door.

"I know but I owe it to Katherine. What if there's something inside that could lead to her killer? I have to do this for her."

"You two were close?" Damon asks, unlocking the door and stepping aside so she can cross the threshold.

"Do you mind?" Elena offers her hand for Damon to hold.

"No," he shakes his head and links their fingers. When they reach the spot where Elena saw her sister's body, her stomach contracts so violently that she barely makes it to the toilet. She sinks to her knees and retches with only clear liquid was coming up. Suddenly she feels her hair raising and then a cool, moist washcloth on the back of her neck. Glancing over her shoulder, she nods at Damon who's holding her hair up.

"I'm so embarrassed," she takes his offered hand and stands up.

"There's no reason to be, you're a very strong woman, your devotion to your sister is admirable."

"Thanks," Elena takes the washcloth, wipes her face, wrings it out and hangs it on the towel rack. "I'm going to go into their room and see if I can find anything, I won't be messing up any evidence will I? I mean with my fingerprints?"

"Got that covered," he hands her a pair of rubber gloves. "The forensics team has gone over this place with a fine tooth comb but it never hurts to wear gloves in a crime scene."

"The kids' room is right there," she points at a door. Damon nods and goes inside to start taking down the cribs while Elena goes into Nik and Katherine's room. Walking inside, she sees how the bed is neatly made. The drapes are parted to reveal the backyard fire pit and the beautifully blooming jacaranda trees. "Come on, Elena," she says to herself, walks over to the dresser and runs her fingertips along the top. There are pictures of their family, the babies and one of herself and Katherine when they went trick or treating that day so long ago. At least Katherine found her Prince Charming before...

Feeling her eyes beginning to tear, she wipes them away then starts opening the drawers, finding nothing but clothes. Frustrated, she moves to the bedside tables, both Katherine's and Nik's. She knows they own a weapon, she suspects the police took it. Plopping down on the bed, she runs her eyes around the room till they land on the walk in closet. Fisting her hands briefly, she gets up, walks inside and starts to open shoe boxes, drawers and her sister's jewelry box.

Out of the corner of her eye, she catches a glimpse of white tucked behind shoe rack. Bending over, she recognizes the corner of an envelope. Giving it a little tug, she pulls it free from its prison. Finding it unsealed, she pulls out a photo of her sister wearing a silver padlock necklace with what looks like maybe an 18 or 20 inch chain judging by the position of the pendant on her chest. Elena examines the photo, Katherine is smiling wide, her whole face is glowing. On the table behind her is a Robin's egg blue box, Elena immediately recognizes its significance. Turning it over, she sees the date _July 18, 2014 _in her sister's handwriting. She stares at the photo, perplexed, why would Katherine keep this? She wasn't with Nik at that time - or was she and simply kept another one of her secrets?

_What are you trying to tell me Katherine? _

"Damon, in here," Elena runs out of the closet, waving the photo.

"What is it?" he appears in the doorway.

"This picture," she hands it to him. "I'm confused, I thought she was still with that Wes when this was taken, but it seems really weird that she'd keep it if he gave her this? I do know, however that Katherine couldn't afford to shop at Tiffany's."

"How do you know it's Tiffany's?" Damon looks at her curiously.

"The blue box," Elena points to it in the photo. "Can you trace it somehow?"

"Elena, there are Tiffany stores all over the country."

"How many are in Virginia?"

"We'll have to find out, maybe we'll get lucky?" Damon takes the envelope from her, slides the photo back inside and slips into his lapel pocket.

"Let's get the cribs in the trunk, then I'll take you back to the station to get your car."

"I'm going to look around a little more," Elena points over her shoulder at the closet.

"I'll pack them, holler if you find anything else," Damon nods and walks out, leaving Elena behind to continue her search.

* * *

Frustrated, it takes every ounce of self control for Damon not to slam the phone to the floor. Sighing, he sets it down and reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Hearing the creak of his door, he looks up to see Kai Parker.

"What do you need Kai?"

"There are two Tiffany stores in Virginia, one in Richmond and the other in Vienna."

"Okay, see if you can find out who bought a padlock style necklace on or before July 18, 2014. We're looking for someone with the first name of either Wes or Niklaus Mikaelson. Make sure you talk to Judge Forbes about a warrant."

"Sure boss," he nods and leaves the room just as Enzo skirts around him to enter.

"Who pissed in your cereal?" Enzo turns a chair around and straddles it.

"I just got off the phone with a Captain Guerrera in Nogales. They arrested Markos Barstow but because he's eligible for the death penalty, they're holding onto him."

"Seriously?" Enzo rolls his eyes. "So we're going to Mexico?"

"Yep, and if they won't cooperate, we'll have to ask the FBI to help."

"Vincent," Enzo chuckles, winking at Damon.

"Vincent," Damon mimics and shakes his head...

* * *

As soon as they step off the plane at Nogales International Airport, Damon and Enzo take a cab to the police station. After waiting a good hour, they're finally directed in the captain's office.

"Ranger Salvatore, Detective St. John, it's been awhile," Captain Carlos Guerrera shakes his hand.

"Yes, it has, quite awhile," Damon nods and sits down in one of the two chairs in front of the man's desk.

"How can I help?" he leans forward with his elbows on the desktop, his fingers tented.

"You have someone we want. Markos Barstow. We'd like to talk to him and then see about taking him back with us."

"The wire that came across said he's wanted for murder?"

"We have some evidence that places him at the scene."

"You can speak with him, then we'll talk about extradition," Carlos picks up his phone and says, "Consígueme Benito." - [Get me Benito]

Damon turns around when he hears the door creak. Standing up, he steps forward to shake the other Guerrera's hand. "Me alegro de verte, Benito." - [Nice to see you]

"Ranger Salvatore, nos encontramos de nuevoto," the man smiles and shakes Damon's hand vigorously. - [we meet again]

"Llévenlos a ver Señor Barstow," Carlos instructs his younger brother and nods slowly as he leads them out of the office and to an interrogation room. - [Take them to see]

As Damon follows, he's sure that the gesture is a signal to listen to the conversation they're about to have with their suspect.

* * *

When they reach the small dank room, Benito tells them to have a seat. Damon nods at Enzo and they do as they're told. A short time later, Markos Barstow is brought into the room, his hands and ankles shackled as shuffles to one of the chairs. Benito rather than listen in from the two- way mirror, sits down next to their inmate.

"Mr. Barstow, I'm Ranger Damon Salvatore and this is Detective Enzo St. John. We'd like to have a few words with you."

"'Bout what? I ain't been to Texas," he sneers with contempt and asks for a smoke.

"Who said anything about Texas?" Enzo stares at him.

"Fuck this," he fists his hands on the table top.

Don't waste my time, Markos, one of your fingerprints says otherwise," Damon arches an eyebrow.

"And you want to explain to us how our vic's DNA got inside your sister's car?" Enzo adds, tapping his fingers on the table.

"I ain't talking to you without a lawyer," their suspect suddenly clams up.

"Will you agree to extradition?" Damon asks, already knowing what his answer will be.

"Hell no, you fry people in Texas," he spits, staring at the two lawmen with disdain. "I want to go back to my cell," his gaze shifts to Benito.

"You heard him," the Mexican official whistles and a guard comes in to remove their suspect.

When he's out of the room, Damon grabs Benito by the arm, stopping him from leaving. "We've got enough evidence to convict this guy. Are you gonna let us take him?"

"If it was up to me, I'd shank him right now but you know my country's official position," he lights a cigarette as the men walk out of the room.

"Just don't lose him," Enzo warns, leaves the station and gets into their rental car. Damon follows shortly afterwards.

"They'll be more amenable when Vincent shows up," Damon laughs as a release for his frustration, starts the engine and heads back to the airport.

* * *

While staring out the plane, his forehead against the plexiglass window, Damon can't help but think of Elena Gilbert and her fierce loyalty to her brother in law. She didn't hesitate for even a moment to defend him when she barged into his office. There's no proof, at least not yet that those two might be involved... Did Nik Mikaelson have a thing for his sister in law? Has Miss Gilbert been too quick to come to his defense? Or is it simply that she trusts that the man had nothing to do with his wife's murder?

"What's on your mind?" Enzo asks, downing the tiny bottle of bourbon that the flight attendant handed out.

"I was just thinking of Elena and Nik Mikaelson."

"What about them?"

"Elena seems extremely protective of him..."

"You think something's going on between the two of them?" Enzo shifts slightly to meet Damon's eyes.

"There's no evidence to suggest it other than her fervent devotion to him." Perhaps, if he wasn't on good terms with his wife, he could see her little sister as his salvation?"

"You want me to have the guys do some digging? You think the husband paid to have his wife killed so he could take up with her sister and do you think she's in on it?"

"My gut feeling is telling me no, but we have an obligation to cover all the bases."

"If you want my opinion I tend to agree. However, I think the sister is not one to be trifled with and is a damn mountain lion when raised to anger. You better watch your back," Enzo laughs and puts his seat belt on when the light begins to flash.

"There's no doubt," Damon nods and does the same as the two men brace for impact.

* * *

"Come here, baby," Elena picks Nadia up and sticks a bottle in the baby's mouth, letting her hold it with her tiny hands. With the little girl snuggling in her arms, Elena sits in the rocking chair, moving forward and backward as she tries to get her niece back to sleep.

A moment later, Noah's cry pierces the room then her aunt appears holding him and takes a seat on the couch. "How did Katherine manage?" Jenna shakes her head.

"I don't know," Elena answers and rests hers against the back of the rocker.

"Why couldn't you tell us that she and Nik were in Galveston? Ric was too much in shock when you told him you found her body that he didn't think to ask what you were doing in Virginia?"

"They didn't want anyone to know fearing her ex would find out. She told me he didn't take the break up well so she wanted to keep it as quiet as possible."

"But Elena, we would've kept the secret. Didn't she trust us?"

"Please don't think badly of Katherine. It wasn't that she didn't trust you, she simply thought the less people that know, the better. Nik's parents are the only other people who knew. And actually she mentioned talking to you not long before..."

"I'm sorry, Elena, I won't speak ill of her. I think of the gray hairs she gave your uncle and me when she was in high school, then leaving in the middle of the night with that man. I wish I could have stopped her."

"I wish I could've too," Elena agrees, pulls her niece closer and presses a kiss to Nadia's forehead. With her lips against the tiny girl's flesh, she whispers, "I promise you that I won't rest until the person who did this is put away for good."

* * *

_There really are no words to sufficiently thank you all. Just know your support means everything to us._

_Watch for a little DE "something" to pop up on Friday for Valentine's day._


	6. Your Funny Uncle

Damon's standing at his window, looking out over the city. Raising his coffee, he finishes what's left in his mug and then sets it down. He's frustrated that Mexico isn't cooperating with allowing them to bring Markos back to Texas. Sure he's eligible for the death penalty, he slaughtered a young woman in cold blood in front of her toddlers. To this day, he still struggles to understand the capacity some people have to commit evil. When his eyes land on the pink envelope, he knocks his forehead with his palm. Glancing at his watch, he quickly logs off his computer, snatches the envelope and hurries out of his office.

"Where's the fire?" Enzo asks, when Damon darts inside the elevator just as it's closing.

"My niece's birthday, I damn near forgot. I'm gonna run over to the park, hopefully they're still there," Damon shakes his head, upset at himself for brushing off something so important to his favorite little girl.

"You coming back?" Enzo asks when the elevator stops on the ground floor.

"Yeah, if I'm not in the doghouse, I'll stay a little while and then I'll return, lots of work to do."

"Have fun," Enzo calls from behind as Damon slips through the double doors and leaves the building.

* * *

He breathes a huge sigh of relief when he sees his family. He quickly parks the car and jogs over to them.

"Uncle Damon, you're here!" Allie squeals and runs into his arms.

"Hey kiddo," he hands her the card then lifts her onto his shoulders, carrying her piggy back to join the others.

"You made it," his mom arches an eyebrow at him.

After setting Allie down, Damon takes a seat next to her. "I'm working on the Mikaelson case, you've seen it on the news."

"Tragic," she pats his hand. "But you work too hard."

"I know mom," he agrees to placate her.

"You need to settle down and find a good woman like your brother," Lily's eyes drift to Stefan, Valerie and Allie who's showing them the card he gave her.

"Well, that sounds nice but I have to find her first," Damon quirks his brows right back at her.

"Thank you, Uncle Damon," Allie runs back to hug him for the $20 bill he tucked in the card.

"I'm sorry little girl, I didn't have time to pick up anything but once this case is over, I'll take you shopping and you can choose something."

With a twinkle in her eyes, she cups his ear and whispers, "I want a kitty."

Damon smiles, he can see Val's face already when they bring it home. "We'll keep that our little secret okay?" he winks at her.

"Ah ha," she bobs her head and runs off to join her friends.

"She's a handful," his mother shakes her head.

"I'm going to say hi to Stef and Valerie before I lea..." his voice trails off when he catches a glimpse of Elena pushing a double stroller. "Excuse me for a minute would you?" Damon runs off before his mother can utter a word to the contrary.

"Elena, hi," he catches up and steps in beside her.

"Ranger Salvatore, did you need to talk to me?" she stops in her tracks, locking eyes with him.

"No... yeah, I want to ask you a little more about the mysterious Wes but I'm not here on business," he points towards his family, "Today is my niece's birthday party, she's 5."

"Which one is she?" Elena looks over there as Damon points to the little blonde girl wearing a pink fluffy dress with a princess crown on her head. "She's cute."

"She has her uncle Damon wrapped around her finger that's for sure," he laughs and continues to walk with her when the twins fuss and she begins to move again.

"Do you think they'll remember, I mean seeing Katherine like that? They're only 18 months old but I don't know..."

"I hope not, Elena, but I'm sure you'll help them if they do."

"Thanks," she starts to say when Allie runs over to them.

"My name's Allie, are you uncle Damon's friend?" she peeks at the babies. "They're cute."

"It's nice to meet you, Allie, I'm Elena. These two babies are my niece and nephew, Nadia and Noah. And I guess I'm your uncle's friend." Elena shares a look with Damon.

"Yes, I'd like to think that too," Damon concurs and Elena can see how his eyes grow even bluer.

"Hi babies," Allie pets their chubby toes.

"Happy birthday," Elena smiles at the young girl.

"How did you know?"

"Your uncle told me."

"Daddy wants to talk to you before you go back to work," Allie takes his hand.

"Alright, nice seeing you Elena, I'll give you a call," he nods and lets his niece drag him away although he'd rather spend more time with Elena Gilbert.

* * *

"Damon, come in," the man looks up, gesturing for him to enter when he pokes his head in.

"Thanks Vincent," he pulls out a chair and sits down.

"Coffee?"

"No thanks, listen I'm here on a case..."

"You don't say," the FBI agent swallows what's left in his cup.

"I'm sure you've heard about the Mikaelson case in Galveston?"

"Who hasn't?" Vincent replies, tenting his fingers as he stares at Damon.

"We have suspect, he left a print at the scene and we found Mrs. Mikaelson's DNA in his sister's vehicle. We know he borrowed it and was gone for a few days."

"So what's the problem?"

"He got through border patrol and is in Mexico. Let's just say they're not in the mood to extradite him. I could use your help."

"Have you talked to the DA?"

"Yeah, I've talked to him, he's not willing to take death off the table just yet. I tried to tell him that we won't get Barstow back here unless he does but you know as well as I do that Matt Donovan does what he wants."

"He's a good man, Damon. Has an impressive record on convictions."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just frustrating. The guy slaughtered that woman in front of her twin babies. There's a special place in hell waiting for him," Damon rakes his hand through his dark hair.

"I hate to chase you out of here, but I have a meeting to go to. I'll do what I can, you have my word."

"Thanks Vincent, I appreciate anything you guys can do," Damon shakes his hand and walks out with him, they separate when he ducks into the stairwell to head back to his office.

* * *

"Detective St. John, I'm Elijah Mikaelson. I'm here to represent my brother," he shakes Enzo's hand.

"Have a seat," Enzo leads them into an interrogation room.

"Why am I here again? I told you everything I know several times now," Nik's frustrated. "You're wasting all this valuable time on me instead of trying to find her real killer."

"I'm not at liberty to talk about all the dynamics at play here," Enzo starts, his eyes drifting from Nik to Elijah. "I have some pictures I want you to look at, tell me if you recognize any of them." He lays out a random group of criminals, Markos among them.

Nik looks at him before picking them up one at a time and perusing them carefully. Enzo watches meticulously for any little shift in his facial expression, a tighter grip, a mannerism, anything that may indicate that the man knows one of them.

"I don't know who any of these men are," he admits, and shoves them back to the detective. "Is one of these men on your radar?"

"I can't say," Enzo stacks the mug shots up and lays them in front of him. "You and your sister in law seem pretty tight?" he leads with a question.

"What are you implying?" Nik's hand tightens into a fist.

"I'm just saying, she's a beautiful woman, the two of you..."

"That's it, this interrogation is over," Elijah slides back his chair and stands up, nodding for his brother to walk out. Pausing at the door, Nik turns around, "I'm not going to dignify that remark with an answer."

With that, he walks out, leaving Enzo to contemplate what just happened.

* * *

It's late by the time Damon leaves the office so rather than cook, he stops at Subway to get himself something to eat. While waiting in line to order his sandwich he looks around, his eyes popping when he sees Elena Gilbert sitting by herself, a sub in front of her while she's texting. He chuckles and a smile forms when he remembers Enzo calling her a mountain lion if raised to anger. It's not hard to imagine.

As soon as he gets his twelve inch tuna on wheat, he fills his soda cup with Cherry Zero then takes his food and approaches her. "Do you mind if I join you?" he asks, interrupting her concentration.

"Ranger Salvatore, please sit down," Elena clicks off her phone and drops it in her purse.

"Please call me Damon," he sides into the booth opposite her, unwraps his sub, and takes a bite to mask his sudden uncertainty that he sometimes feel in her presence. It's not in his character to get so friendly with people involved in cases._ His cases. _

"Long day?" she asks, popping a potato chip in her mouth."

"In all honesty, yes, your sister's case is baffling."

"How so?" Elena takes another bite of her turkey bacon club sandwich.

"I've seen alot of horrible things in my career, Elena, it's still difficult to comprehend the viciousness of the attack on her. I want to make that person pay."

"I do too but I don't know what you expect to gain or learn by calling Nik in for questioning every damn day." she quirks a brow.

"I get that you're upset and why however, most homicide victims know their killers. If I overlooked him simply because they were married, I wouldn't be doing my job. And whether you'll admit it or not," he pauses to take a pull from his straw, "you would be angry if I left any stone unturned."

"I suppose but Nik is innocent," she refuses to be persuaded to the contrary.

"I haven't accused him of anything but I don't want there to be any doubt."

Elena sighs and drops her head when her phone rings. "Excuse me," she answers it, nods a few times then says she's on her way. After dropping it back in her bag, she finishes her drink. "I have to go, one of the twins has a fever."

"Are you staying with your brother in law?" Damon asks tactfully.

"No, he's staying with me. He can't take care of the babies alone," she explains matter-of-factly.

"Thanks for letting me join you."

Goodnight Damon, I enjoyed this." Elena gives him a smile and hurries out.

"Goodnight," he says softly and follows her movements till he sees her back out of her parking spot and drive away. There's something about Elena Gilbert that he can imagine might drive a man like Niklaus Mikaelson mad. He makes a mental note to question the neighbors from their old neighborhood to see if anyone can give some insight on how the Mikaelsons got along. After finishing his sandwich, he refills his soda, hops on his Harley and heads back to headquarters._ It's going to be another long night. _

* * *

"So we know the cash from her wallet was taken, and some of the drawers were rifled through, Mikaelson said she had a diamond pendant on when he left for work that morning. It wasn't on her body, nor did we find it when we searched the home."

"Robbery?"

"When you take into account, the brutality of the murder - I have that hinky feeling that something deeper is going on here," Damon looks up at Enzo.

"I tend to agree but Markos isn't talking," Enzo gets up to pour himself another cup of coffee.

"But why borrow his sister's car and drive all the way to Galveston for a robbery? It makes no sense - unless..."

"I know exactly what you're thinking Damon but we have nothing - as in no physical evidence to suggest a conspiracy."

"Have we gotten his financial records? Computer? Anything that might tell a story?"

"We know he has or had a computer but the sister claims she doesn't know what happened to it."

"Convenient. What do we know about her other than she denies knowing anything? Let's ask the Huntington, West Virginia PD to check the local pawn shops, look into his banking records, let's run him to ground."

"I'm on it," Enzo tosses his coffee cup in the waste basket, nods at Damon and leaves the room.

Sighing, Damon spins his chair to gaze out of the window. The sky is consumed in numerous shades of grey, white and black. It looks like the sun has given up on trying to break through this iron curtain of clouds that it has become content to lounging out behind them. Thunder rumbles in the distance and a bolt of lightning cracks the dark sky into two. Jagged flashes of pure light cast a glow against the monochromatic background.

Soon rain is cascading in diagonal sheets in its full glory. There is a certain rhythm to the downpour that he catches amidst the wind unleashing a torrent of its own. The rain exhibits no signs of ending.

Seagulls are tossed like paper in the storm, flashes of white in the grey, tumbling as they struggle against the gale. Beneath them the sea rises as great mountains, anger in the form of water, turbulent and unforgiving.

Damon can't help but realize the storm matches his mood and then his mind drifts to Elena. She's a vision and he can't help but feel drawn to her. Yet he doesn't know how to read her? He suspects she's slow to anger but a mighty foe when that line is crossed.

The sound of the phone ringing snaps him out of his reverie. Taking a breath, he turns his chair and answers it.

_"Damon, it's Vincent. I have some news." _

He listens carefully to what the FBI agent has to say. Instantly infuriated, Damon pounds his fist on the desktop. "What the fuck? How in the hell did that happen?"

* * *

_Thank you all so much for you continued interest, you're amazing. The story is over 20 chapters - much to come._

_Title: 'Your Funny Uncle' by The Pet Shop Boy. _

_Thank you Eva. Love you to pieces. _

_Have a lovely day and a great week ahead. We'll see you next time. _


	7. At Wit's End

Damon stands up as Nik Mikaelson and Elena Gilbert enter his office. With a sweep of his hand, he gestures for them to have a seat.

"Why are we here?" Elena asks, her gaze drifting from her brother in law to Damon.

"We found a bloody fingerprint at the scene of your sister's murder," Damon starts to say but is interrupted when Enzo joins them.

"Have you arrested someone?" Nik sits upright in his chair.

"No," Damon shakes his head.

"Then I repeat, what's the purpose of this little get together?" Elena meets Damon's eyes.

"We had a positive ID on the print... Unfortunately he managed to slip over the border. The Mexican police were holding him but..."

"But what?" Nik grips the armrest.

"He was murdered in his cell."

"What? Are you telling me the man who killed my wife is dead?" Nik's head snaps to face Elena.

Damon watches discerningly when she links her fingers with his.

"How could you let that happen?" Elena looks up angrily, their hands still linked.

"I'm just as dumbfounded as you and I didn't let anything happen. Mexico won't extradite a prisoner back to the United States if the death penalty is on the table. We asked the FBI for assistance. However the DA wasn't willing to give up that option just yet. We believe he was the man who murdered Mrs. Mikaelson. We found some of her DNA in his car. He borrowed it from his sister in West Virginia, and for some reason he showed up in Galveston at your house."

"So you're saying this was a random thing, he simply chose our house?"

"That's the way it appears - have you found anything else missing from your house? Her necklace was not in the sister's possession or in her car. I've talked to Captain Guerrera in Nogales, he told me there was no necklace in his personal effects when they arrested him. We're checking pawn shops both here and in West Virginia with the help of their police department. Is there anything you can tell us, did the necklace have any significance?"

"Which necklace are you talking about? Katherine had several."

"The one if in the photograph, the Tiffany necklace?" Elena looks at him.

"No," Nik shakes his head. I gave her a diamond encrusted heart necklace the night the twins were born. I've never even been inside a Tiffany store," Nik looks down at their hands and squeezes a little tighter.

"What significance does it have if this was simply a robbery?" Elena fumes, meeting Damon's blue eyes once more.

"Miss Gilbert, Elena, I'm not ready to close this case yet."

"Why?" Nik looks at Damon and then to Enzo who's eyeing their conjoined hands. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

"I want to know more about this Wes person. You said their break up was acrimonious. Go through her personal effects, see if you can find anything. I cannot locate someone with only a first name to go on."

"We'll do what we can," Elena nods and stands, Nik does the same. Damon walks over to the door to see them out. He watches as Nik spreads his palm on her lower back as they leave his office.

A chill runs up his spine at the thought of them being _together._

* * *

"They're asleep," Elena joins Nik, who's enjoying a glass of wine in the living room. Plopping down on the couch beside him, she says thanks when he hands her a glass of Moscato D'Asti.

"I'm still kind of in shock at what the cops told us today. It sounded like they were pretty certain he was the killer."

"Thanks for all you're doing for us, Elena. I'll start looking for a place soon."

"Nik, there's no hurry, you can't take care of two babies by yourself." She takes a good sized swallow, adding, "It's good."

"I'll have to hire a nanny, Elena. I can't expect you to put your life on hold for us."

"Nik, I want to help and I know Katherine would want that too."

"I miss her," he sighs and throws back what's left in his glass. "My kids have to grow up without their mother. They're so young, will they even remember her?"

"I don't know. We'll have to keep her memory alive for them as they get older with pictures and stories, " she smiles sadly at him.

He nods and lifts the wine bottle, pouring himself another glass and adding a little to Elena's. "Here's to Katherine," he raises his glass.

"Katherine," Elena repeats, clinks his glass and empties hers in one long swallow. When she puts it down, suddenly Nik's hands are cupping her cheeks and before she can react, his lips are on hers.

* * *

"Thanks for coming down, Aunt Jenna. I need to return to work. I got that promotion and I haven't been back since. I'm actually looking forward to it but I haven't had time to interview anyone to babysit yet. I'm going to call the employment agency today."

"Where's Nik?"

"Where's Uncle Ric?"

"School, he had a big test scheduled for today and didn't want to postpone it. Their Thanksgiving break is coming up. Now your turn..."

"Nik went to Houston to his home office about going back to work. Last night he was drinking a little too much, mentioned moving out, well more so finding them their own place - somewhere to stay till they can move into the home he was going to share with Katherine."

"While I don't think it's urgent, I do believe it's the right thing for him to do."

"I suppose... I just feel I owe it to Katherine to help them," she pushes a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We'll all help them Elena, but you can't just throw away everything that's important to you either and I'm certain wherever your sister is, she's very proud of the way you've stepped up."

"I hope you're right..." her words trail off when hungry cries fill the air.

"I hate to leave you but I need to get going. You'll find everything you need in the kitchen." She gives her aunt a hug and hurries out of the house, her mind still unable to forget the evening before.

* * *

"Damon, I just got off the phone with the Chief Fell in Huntington, West Virginia. They found a necklace that matches the description in Sloane Barstow's home with the aid of a search warrant. Seems she's continuing to be uncooperative."

"New rules," Damon leans back in his chair. "I find it hard to believe that Markos would borrow his sister's car, drive to Galveston then randomly," he air quotes that word, "choose the Mikaelson home to rob. There's something hinky going on here, Enzo."

"I think so too Damon - but again, what evidence do we have to indicate a conspiracy to murder Katherine Mikaelson?" Enzo lights up a smoke.

"I haven't spoken to Kai for a couple of days, has he gotten anything from Tiffany's?"

"The padlock was a very popular necklace, tons of them were sold."

"I don't doubt that but it's our only lead right now, do their records indicate if someone named Wes purchased one?"

"I talked to him yesterday, so far he's come up empty handed," Enzo takes a drag on his cigarette.

"I think we're being too narrow in our focus. This Wes may have purchased that necklace - _if_ he purchased it - anywhere in the country, just because he lived - lives in Virginia, doesn't mean he bought it there."

"That's absolutely true but I think it was the right place to start. I'll talk to Judge Forbes about a warrant then we'll decide our next move."

"I'm going to ask Miss Gilbert to come in and tell me everything she knows about the man. Maybe something will jog her memory? And I'm also going to take what we have to Nora Hildegard, see if she can come up with anything useful."

"Are you thinking this guy may have had a hand in the murder?"

"Honestly, I don't know, Enzo. Markos Barstow may very well have acted alone but at the end of the day, you and I need to be satisfied that,_ that_ was indeed what happened."

"As much as I want to believe the robbery gone bad theory, I also have a gut feeling that there's more to it."

Enzo drops what's left of his cigarette in the coffee at the bottom of his cup, tosses it in the wastebasket and walks out while Damon picks up his phone to call their profiler, Nora.

* * *

"Nora, how are you?" Damon walks into her office and shakes her hand, eyeing the diamond band on her left ring finger. "Did you and Mary Louise finally make it official?" he smiles at his friend.

"We did, a few months ago," she gestures for him to have a seat.

"And I wasn't invited? I'm hurt," he pouts playfully.

"We didn't invite anyone. Judge Fell married us and then we flew to Cancun for a magical week long honeymoon," her face pinks up as she remembers...

Damon laughs, "Congratulations to both of you."

"Thanks Damon, I have to be in court in about 90 minutes so we better get to it."

"So... what can you tell me?" Damon leans forward in his chair.

"I looked over the crime scene photos, and read the reports. I believe the man that did this is highly intellectual, genius level IQ, probably very charming but rarely shows remorse. There's an element of fantasy - sex and death ones fueled by pornography. He's likely rude, maybe even cruel to his peers. And I believe him to be a narcissist, someone who will say or do whatever's needed to reach that fantasy - and totally egocentric."

"You concluded all that? There's no one better at this job than you," Damon's amazed. But he's also troubled because none of what she's told him would fit Markos Barstow.

"How often are you wrong?"

"Why do you ask?" she leans forward, elbows on her desktop and tents her fingers.

"The man we believed killed her, he left a bloody print on the premises. We also know he was quite careless, by that I mean, he left a lot of evidence for us in a car he borrowed from his sister. Your profile seems 180 degrees removed from the man we know Markos Barstow to have been."

"Have been?"

"He was murdered in a Mexican jail."

"Have you considered that maybe he was working for someone?"

"Actually I have, we don't have much to go on other than a first name. We know our victim had an affair with this man and followed him to Virginia. We also know that she, her husband and those two babies, left the area in the "dead of night" so he wouldn't know. They also kept the location so secretive that only her sister and his parents knew they moved to Galveston."

Relaxing back in her chair, Nora opens up the file Damon gave her and thumbs through the morbid photos again, including one of the bloodied toddlers. "I stand by my assessment, Damon."

"Okay, thank you, Nora. I'll let you know how things turn out," Damon stands up, and moves to leave. After opening the door, he looks over his shoulder. "I'll give you a call, I'd like to take you both out to eat to celebrate your wedding."

"I'd like that, Damon," she nods, and walks him out, watching his departing form till he steps in an elevator and disappears from sight.

* * *

Having heard Noah fuss, Elena pads to the makeshift nursery to find Noah standing up, gripping the crib's railing. "Why are you awake?" she brushes his nose with her fingertip.

"Baba," he reaches for her.

"Okay, little man," she picks him up and quickly leaves the nursery before his sister wakes up too.

After a quick trip to the kitchen, they return to the room where Elena plops down in the rocker, hands him a bottle of milk. Taking it in his tiny hands, he sticks the nipple in his mouth and immediately a suckling sound fills the room. She's amazed at how much he resembles her sister whereas Nadia looks more like Nik. She sings softly to him, while moving back and forth. Soon his little eyes drop closed and the nipple slips from his mouth.

Ever so carefully, she lays him back down, grabs the baby monitor and tiptoes out of the room, closing the door softly behind her. After taking a nice relaxing bubble bath with lavender bath salts, she crawls in herself. Soon she's deep in slumber, her eyes flickering softly...

_The tapping of the rain, voices, a car and a ship's horn. A single chime of a church bell, a door opening. A song on the radio. The sounds are faint and calm as she shifts onto her side unconsciously. _

_Elena is riding a bike, parking it near the swing set. A group of children whistle and clap at the soccer field. Approaching the swings, she recognizes her sister. "Katherine, how come you're here?" _

_Her big sister parachutes off the swing, takes her wrist and drags her over to the tree maze then she lets go and darts inside. Elena chases after her, calling her name. _

_"Wait for me," she tries to keep up but all she sees is a wisp of her sister's pink dress as she makes a turn ahead of her. When she reaches the exit, Katherine approaches her, puts her hands on her younger sister's shoulders, places her mouth to her ear and whispers only one word. Then before Elena can ask her about it, she steps back and vanishes into thin air._

Elena's eyes shoot open. Her heart is pounding in a her throat and beads of sweat dot her forehead. She looks around the room, wide eyed at the _one _word...

_Wes. _

* * *

_**Huge apologies **for not responding to your reviews for 'Cheeseburger In Paradise' and for missing last week's update for this story. My son ended up in the hospital with one of those freakish things that happen sometimes. He choked so hard on a piece of ham that he ended up with an esophogeal tear and hemorrhage. He required 4 transfusions and several days in the hospital.__ I see GI bleeds all the time as a nurse but it didn't hit that Morgan could have died till after he got home. _

_I did post a one-shot **"At The Beginning"** yesterday. It's a DE wedding fic. Eva thanks you all from the bottom of her DE loving heart for all the birthday wishes. You are all the most amazing people. We're so grateful for your support and friendships. _

_Chapter title: 'At Wit's End' by the Darkeyed Musician._

_Long ways to go, this has 24 chapters. Much longer than I anticipated when writing it. I promise I'll do another double update at some point to make up for missing last week's chapter. We're really excited about another little something we have coming soon ;)_

_ Have a wonderful day and we'll see you next time._


	8. Dream a Little Dream of Me

Damon can't help but notice there's some distance between Elena and her brother in law today. But it's nothing he can put his finger on other than the fact that their chairs are further apart, no hand holding and she's leaning away from him. Brushing it aside for now, he starts to explain why he asked them to come in yet again.

"Mr. Mikaelson, you said you gave your wife a diamond encrusted pendant, do you remember the last time she wore it?" Damon notices the way Elijah is staring at him.

"She had the necklace on that morning. I remember her back was facing me, she was by the sink when I walked into the kitchen. When she turned to say good morning, the sunlight hit the diamonds reflecting rainbows around the room. I remember telling her how pretty the effect was. We had breakfast together, I said goodbye to her and my kids, then I left."

"As we told you, the Huntington PD - retrieved two necklaces one at a private residence and the other in one of their local pawn shops. They faxed these pictures," he spreads them out, do you recognize them?"

"Yes, that one's identical to the one in the picture I found in her closet," Elena looks at Damon, still maintaining an arm's distance from her brother in law.

"And yes, this is identical to the necklace I gave my wife. Katherine's had an engraving '_N N' _on the back for Noah and Nadia. If that's there, then this was hers," Nik affirms and looks at Elena before quickly turning away.

"Have you found out anything about this "Wes" character?"

"Katherine loved to write letters, they were more personal. I went into my closet and dug these out of a shoebox, I forgot I had them. I didn't find anything with his name on it but there's one of them," she pulls a small stack out of her purse and thumbs through them, handing it to Damon when she finds it. "It has a hospital letterhead."

"Was she ill that she would've been a patient?" Damon asks, his eyes perusing the VCU Health header at the top of the page.

"No, she wasn't. That's the first thing I thought too and I specifically remember asking her. She said she knew someone who worked there," Elena explains, keeping her eyes only on Damon.

"Excuse me, did you say VCU Health in Richmond, Virginia?" Elijah's eyes snap to Nik's.

"I did," Damon hands it to him.

"Our brother, Finn is a hospitalist. This is where he works," the older Mikaelson brother explains.

"Okay, that's quite a coincidence. Was he working there at the time the letter was written?" Damon asks, pointing out the date Katherine wrote.

"Yeah, he's been there for several years already," Elijah confirms, handing the letter to Damon.

"Do you mind if I keep this for now, you have my word that you'll get it back?"

"If it helps, sure," she nods, a smile on her face, happy that she could help a little bit.

"You can go, I'll give the Huntington PD a call and ask if the diamond pendant has the 'double N' engraving on it. If it does, I'll ask them to fax a photo it," he looks at Nik. "We'll be in touch," Damon walks to the door to hold it open for them. When Elena passes him, she nods, Nik and Elijah shake his hand.

Following them out, he again picks up on some tension between Elena and Nik Mikaelson, she's keeping her distance from him, instead walking beside Elijah. When they reach the automatic doors, Elena turns around and comes back.

"Was there something else?" Damon asks, as she closes the distance between them.

"I know this may sound silly but I had a really intense dream of Katherine, she said "Wes" and then I woke up. You have to find him."

"We will, Elena," Damon assures her.

"I'm trusting you," she stares into his blue eyes, momentarily losing herself in them. Snapping out of it when someone nearby drops something, she nods, turns on her heels to catch up with the Mikaelson brothers but this time steps in beside Niklaus as they exit the building.

* * *

Damon pounds the sand as he jogs along the beach. The ocean shore lies jagged, the rocky outcrops - a torn piece of paper where they meet the rushing waves. The shore is everything at once, every sense bombarded in a way that brings his mind to elevated thought. Eyes open there is every shade of blue before him, every shade from white to browns and greys at his feet.

The ocean's music takes command of his ears with crashing waves and the cries of the gulls. The pebbles push into his soles, shifting as his body leans more to one side or the other. Between rock and wave, he stands intoxicated on the breath of mother earth, of nature and all the wonders she holds. The seaside is a graceful arc of sand, glittering under the summer sun, a place for a placid ocean to lap. The waves roll in with a soothing sound, the salty water a brief flurry of sand.

He slows down to take a breath, bending over, his hands on his knees when he hears his name. Standing upright, he shades his eyes with his hand and his heart thumps when he sees Elena swiftly walking towards him, her breasts bouncing in the red halter top she's wearing.

"You mean you actually have some time off?" she smiles at him.

"It is Saturday, I do take a day off now and then."

"Why do I think that's a rare occurrence for you?" she arches an eyebrow.

"I can't deny that," he chuckles, "Um... would you want to get something to drink or...?"

"I would like that but I can't today. I need to get home. My aunt and uncle are babysitting and they need to drive back to Houston."

"Elena, when this is all over, would you consider going out with me?" he asks, hoping she isn't going to shoot him down.

"I'd like that, Damon."

A huge smile begins to form on his face. "I'll hold you to that." he winks at her.

"You better. Before I go, did you find out anything new?"

"The Huntington police are sending the necklaces here via Fed Ex. As soon as they arrive, I'll call you. Search your mind, see if you can remember anything about this Wes. Something that may seem insignificant to you could perhaps be very important to us."

"I will, I have to go," she starts to walk off. "I'm looking forward to our date," she calls over her shoulder as she jogs away, kicking up sand with each pound of her feet against the beach.

* * *

"Goodnight Allie," Damon pulls up her covers then leans over to kiss her forehead.

"Night uncle Damon. "Can we watch Ariel tomorrow before mommy and daddy pick me up?"

"Sure," he winks at her. "Go to sleep now," he switches on the nightlight then walks out, leaving her door ajar.

Tired himself, he showers, slips on a pair of pajama bottoms then crawls into bed. After flipping off the bedside lamp, he pulls the covers up and flips onto his belly, letting sleep consume him.

_He lifts her into his arms to walk towards the bed. After setting her down, his eyes lower to the red halter top she's wearing. Tracing a finger slowly down her chin to her waist through valley between her breasts, his heart pounds at her sharp intake of breath. _

_"Do you know what I liked most about this top when I bought it for you?"_

_Elena's eyelids flutter shut as Damon brings his hands up to caress the tender flesh of her breasts beneath it. "No..." She gasps when he takes her nipple between his thumb and index finger and rolls it gently. "What did you like about it?" _

_"I liked the idea of how good it would feel when I ripped it off you..." __Elena's eyes pop open when Damon suddenly hooks his fingers in the string that holds it together and pulls. The top floats away from her body like a feather as he tosses it aside._

_"...Like that." _

_Elena's breathing becomes more erratic as he strokes his hands lazily up her belly to palm her bare breasts, her nipples hardening into tiny buds at his ministrations. She wraps her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in the hairs at the nape of his neck as he gently strokes the back of his fingers aground the outside edges, the tops, and closer to her nipples. _

_"Touch me, Damon," she whispers in a husky voice, rubbing her hips against his. "Please..." _

_"Where?" He pauses a millisecond then lowers his mouth to trace a circular path around her swollen tips with his tongue. "Here?" He draws back and runs his hands up and down her bare back. "I want to taste all of you..." _

_He lowers his head again and draws the nipple of her right breast into his mouth, first suckling then nibbling gently - smiling against her flesh when she moans loudly. _

_Tossing her head back, Elena arches into him to bring her breasts closer to his talented tongue. _

_"Damon..." she breathes and he shifts his attention to her left breast while bringing his hand up to continue to work the right one. He lets go of her long enough - earning another groan from her - to strip off the shirt he's wearing, scattering buttons as he does. When he pulls her back against him - even closer - the feel of her breasts against the hard planes of his chest prompt Damon to grind his rock hard length against her soft flesh. _

_He kisses her again, long, drugging ones. With their mouths sliding together, Damon becomes aware of the gathering moistness between her legs. With a quick flip, he has her on her back and surges inside, nearly losing his mind at the exquisiteness that is Elena Gilbert..._

Beep - beep - beep sounds his alarm. Still in the throes of sleep, Damon blindly reaches over to turn it off. His fingers fumble around, pushing it out of his reach so with a sigh, he throws back the covers and turns it off. Feeling his morning wood, Damon shifts quickly when he hears the padding of little footsteps only moments before his door flies open and a little girl jumps on his bed.

"I'm hungry," Allie bounces excitedly, her nightie flying up and down until he repositions himself and gets out of bed. Grabbing the little girl, he throws her over his shoulder and carries her into the kitchen to make her some breakfast.

* * *

"Elena, can we talk?" Nik knocks on her bedroom door.

"I suppose we should," she opens it, lets him in then crawls back into her bed, pulling the covers up over her breasts.

"Look, I'm sorry I kissed you. Yeah I had a little too much to drink but that's no excuse. I look at you and someone who can fix my problems and be a mother to my kids... and well, you've been so good to me, defending me to the police and you've been a godsend to us. I just..." he drops his eyes, looking down at his clenched hands. Several seconds pass before he looks at her again. "Can you please forgive my lapse in judgement?"

"I care about you, Nik... as my sister's husband, not as someone I'm romantically interested in. I love Noah and Nadia but I won't be their mother, I can't. Maybe someday you'll find another woman but that girl isn't me. And to answer your question, yes I forgive you."

"Thank you, Elena," he reaches over and squeezes her hand. "I should tell you, I talked to Ric and Jenna. I'm going to go to Houston and stay with them. They have more room and I don't want to risk our friendship, should I ever lose my mind again and come on to you a second time."

"You don't have to go," she looks at him with those big brown eyes.

"Yeah, we do. I think it's for the best and I suspect you know it too. And don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at Ranger Salvatore."

"There's nothing between us," she protests but can't stop her cheeks from turning a rosy shade of pink.

"I know that but I don't want to stand in the way if..." he stands up and walks to the door. "Goodnight Elena. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," she sighs while reaching over to turn out the beside lamp. Snuggling down under her covers, she closes her eyes in hopes Katherine will come again. Although she knows the chances are less than zero, she hopes that somehow she'll find something that will help to identify her sister's mysterious ex lover.

* * *

Elena comes home to a quiet house since Nik and the twins moved out. Although she misses them, she can't deny the solitude is a welcome change. After dropping her purse from her shoulder, she sets it on the table then reaches into the refridgerator for her jug of orange juice and pours herself a cup. Leaning back against the counter, her eyes land on the photo she found in Katherine's closet. There's something about it that she just can't put her finger on. And when she looks at some of the other ones that she has tacked on the refrigerator, it hits like a ton of bricks. It's a professional photograph.

Dropping her glass in the sink, she grabs the photo, her handbag and runs out of the house, jumps into her car and heads for downtown to see Damon. It's late by the time she gets to his office - she can only hope he's working late.

With the photo securely in her hand, she runs into the building and rather than wait for the elevator, darts into the stairwell, climbing up three flights of steps in mere moments. By the time she reaches his suite, she's nearly breathless but not from exhaustion, from anticipation that this could be something important. Fisting her hand, she raps hard on his door, relieved when she hears his voice.

"Damon," she squeaks as soon as he pulls it open.

"Elena, what are you doing here this time of day?"

"I think I found something. Remember this picture?" she holds it for him.

"Yes, that's the one you found when I took you to the house," Damon takes it from her.

"Damon, it's a professionally taken picture. I'm so stupid, I overlooked it before, I don't know, I guess the shock but look at the bottom right corner, it's the name of a photography studio."

"Elena, you're a genius, this might be the missing piece." He cups her cheeks and then, his lips are on hers, and she doesn't have time to react because his tongue's dipping into her mouth. His hands are on her waist, bringing her flush against the length of his hard body and then he pulls back. "I've been wanting to do that since we met."

"Me too, Damon," she brushes her lips with the pad of her fingers. Then suddenly, he cradles her face in his hands, joining their lips again. As his mouth moves with hers all she can feel is the connection, that feeling of falling deep and fast. As his tongue dances languidly with hers, she wants the kiss to never end... but it has to.

"When this is all said and done, I really want to get to know you better, Elena. I don't know about you but every time you're close, I feel something strange and confusing yet exciting too. I would very much like to explore that with you."

"I'd like that," Elena nods and takes a step back. "What are you going to do with the photo?"

"I'm going to call the studio first thing tomorrow and see what they can tell us. Who paid for it? Did she make the appointment alone, did someone come with her, are there other pictures in this photo session?" Damon looks at his watch, "It's late, I'll walk you to your car," he sets the photo on his desk, follows her out of his office and into the parking lot. When they reach her car, he opens the door after she unlocks it, allowing her to slide in. "I'll let you know if I find out anything. Goodnight, Elena."

"Night," she starts the engine, pulls the door closed and drives away while Damon watches till her taillights are no longer visible in the distance.

* * *

_"Gerard Photography, how can I help you?" _

"Hello, I'm Damon Salvatore of the Texas Rangers law enforcement. I'm calling from Galveston. I have a photo here that was taken at your studio and could be an important clue in an investigation I'm involved in. I was wondering if there's someone I can talk to about that?"

_"Hang on, I'll get Marcel," _ the girl puts him on hold, leaving him to listen to elevator music.

_"Ranger Salvatore, this is Marcel Gerard, I am the owner of this studio."_

"Thank you for taking my call, Mr. Gerard. I'm working on a homicide case. I have a picture of our victim taken at your studio. I'm hoping you can tell me about it?"

_"A very small number of my clients are very secretive. Yes, I'll help if I can but I'd like you to get a warrant - if for nothing else than to protect my business. I've worked very hard to build it to what it is today." _

"I'm going to throw a few things in a bag and I'll be in Richmond as soon as I can. Thank you for your time, Mr. Gerard."

_"No problem, I've always wanted to meet a Texas Ranger," the man laughs and hangs up. _

Damon grabs his hat and briefcase then hurries out of his office after telling his secretary his plans. As soon as he's outside, he pulls his sunglasses out of his lapel pocket, slips them then trots down the steps. With his eyes on the asphalt, he walks right into Elijah Mikaelson.

"Excuse me, counselor?" Damon steps back and raises his hat.

"I'm headed to Virginia to talk to my brother Finn about Katherine. Maybe he knows something - maybe he doesn't but I want to satisfy myself about that letterhead."

"I'm headed to Richmond as well to follow a lead. You need a lift to the airport?" Damon asks as they walk into the parking structure.

"Actually yes, I took a cab," Damon unlocks the car, they both slide in and with a rev of his engine, they're on their way to Scholes International Airport to catch a flight to Virginia.

* * *

_Huge apologies again. My family has had 3 weeks of hell. Friday evening my sons were assaulted and my car vandalized. Matt ended of bruised with 3 staples in his head but again Morgan took the brunt of it. Kid nearly bled to death only a couple weeks ago. This time these assholes took a crowbar to his face, shattered his nose and caused a brain bleed. He had to be sent by helicopter to a bigger hospital. My mom died brain dead from a bleed - the result of a fall so as you can imagine, I about lost my mind with worry. _

_Tremendous thanks to all of you and to Eva. Our fandom has some really great people in it. Also Happy Birthday wishes to heyitskarma. I wish I could put a cake emoji here._

_Chapter title: 'Dream a Little Dream of Me' by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald._

_Next week will hold a surprise or two ;) barring any other unforeseen craziness. _

_Have a terrific day and a wonderful weekend. We'll see you next times_


	9. Photograph

As soon as they land in Richmond, Damon says goodbye to Elijah, rents a car and heads to the Ashland, Virginia Police Department. The city is 18 miles from Richmond and the location of Mr. Gerard's photography studio.

Deep into autumn and nearly winter, the road stretches before him like a great quilt of golden and brown squares. It rises and falls like giant waves on a gentle ocean. Occasionally there is a patch of trees or a farmhouse.

When he arrives and steps out of the car, the crisp breeze tousles his hair and pinks his cheeks. The leaves dance from branches to the ground, each a colorful flag without strings or poles, free to roam. The breeze is rich with the aroma of the earth as it's the keeper of the seeds for the springtime to come. There is a calmness, as if all the gold, berry-reds, yellows and browns that flutter about are a cozy patchwork quilt.

He smiles at the beauty of mother nature and almost immediately in contrast - his face slackens as his thoughts slip once again to the wasted life of one fine young woman who had everything in life and will never be able to enjoy it.

_Because of some lowlife bastard and perhaps a poor choice of lovers? __Why do his thoughts always go back to the mysterious Wes? Perhaps Elena planted them in his mind?_

Pulling the door open, he walks inside and approaches the information desk. "I'm," he pulls out his badge, "Ranger Damon Salvatore. I'm here to see Chief Bennett."

"Sure, let me see if she's free," the young man, Luke Parker, his name badge says, picks up the phone and after a few words, he steps from behind the desk to show Damon to her office.

"Ranger Salvatore," Sheila greets him at the door.

"Hello Captain Bennett. Thank you for seeing me."

"Have a seat and why don't you tell me why you're visiting our fine city?"

"I'm here on a murder case, a young mother brutally murdered in her home in front of her children. The man who killed her is dead but we have reason to believe that there's more to the crime."

"A conspiracy?" she hands him a cup of coffee then sits at her desk.

"Thank you. We have nothing concrete, it's rather...," he pauses for a moment, "just a feeling, I'm sure you're aware of it," he takes a swallow. "Good coffee."

"Only the best for my officers. And yes, I know that feeling all too well. How can I help you?"

"I need to get a warrant to get some photographs from a Marcel Gerard. He assured me he would cooperate but would like a search warrant."

"Marcel's a good man. He took that picture," she points to one of herself in her dress blues sitting on top of a bookshelf.

"Nice portrait, he does excellent work."

"Yes, he does. If you need a warrant, we'll need to pay a visit to Judge Lockwood. I'll come with you," she finishes her coffee then gestures for Damon to lead the way.

Grabbing her jacket on the way out, she tells Luke where she'll be then follows Damon outside. "We'll take my car, the courthouse is in Hanover, it's about 7 miles from here," she adds and Damon trails after her, sliding into the passenger seat when she unlocks it.

"That's Marcel's studio," she points to it when they pass the brick building.

"Thanks, now I know how to find it."

"Do you have reason to believe there's someone else involved in the murder?" Sheila makes conversation.

"Just that our vic and her husband left Virginia under the cover of darkness so no one would know where they went. They only told her sister and his parents their whereabouts. From what her husband told us, her ex lover didn't take the breakup well."

"It wouldn't be the first time nor will it be the last."

"Sadly, you're right," Damon agrees, his eyes watching the scenery as it passes.

"We're here," the chief pulls into the courthouse, parks the car and then the two of them go into the building to meet with the Judge.

* * *

With their search warrant in hand, their next stop is Gerard Photography Studio. Damon holds the door open for Sheila, allowing her to enter first. Hearing the bell above the it ring, a man looks up and smiles.

"Sheila, how are you?" he comes around his desk, shakes her hand then offers his to Damon.

"Mr. Gerard, I'm Damon Salvatore, we talked on the phone yesterday."

"You brought Sheila along for reinforcements?" he winks at her and chuckles.

"There's strength in numbers," Damon plays along, handing the man the warrant he requested.

"I got the photo you faxed me. Come, I have the file on my computer." he leads the two of them into his office, brings up the file, and steps aside so Damon can sit down to view them. Carefully he clicks through the pictures with Sheila and Marcel looking on. A low gasp leaves his mouth when he finds one that must've been a lucky catch. It's a profile of Katherine facing away from the camera, her eyes seemingly on the man that's standing off to the side. Blonde, approximately six foot tall Damon would guess.

"She tried to get him to pose with her but he didn't want his picture taken. He was adamant about that to the point of being rude."

"Can I have a copy of this one?" Damon looks up at Marcel and steps aside, allowing him to sit down and print the picture.

"Here you go," he hands it to Damon.

"Can I see that?" Sheila asks, taking it from him. Perusing it carefully, Damon notices immediately when _it _clicks. She recognizes him.

"I know this man. He's a physician."

"Are you sure Sheila?" Damon asks, his heart practically pounding out of his chest.

"Yes, my grandaughter recently had her gall bladder removed. He's the surgeon," she points to his face adding, "That was only a few weeks ago."

"Do you remember his name?"

"I have a photographic memory, Ranger Salvatore. His name is Dr. Maxfield."

Feeling the intensity of the moment, Damon turns to Marcel. "Who paid for Katherine Gilbert's photos?"

"Hang on, the man steps back to his desk and finds the copy of the original receipt and hands it to Damon.

"He paid cash for a photo shoot? It wasn't cheap," he turns to Marcel.

"Well, Ranger Salvatore, you get what you pay for. I take pride in my work."

"Hold on, I'm not questioning your talent, obviously your work speaks for itself. I'm just saying that was a lot of cash to be carrying around."

"No offense taken," the men shake hands and after thanking him, Damon and Sheila leave the premises.

* * *

"Enzo, I'm going to be here for a couple of days. I think we've identified the mysterious Wes but I haven't been able to talk to him yet," Damon talks to him on the phone while he waits for the receptionist to give him a key card for his motel room.

_"We have a little news on this end too. Kai found out that someone named Wesley Maxfield purchased the Tiffany padlock pendant and bead chain. The clerk, who's worked at that store for many years specifically remembered when he showed him Katherine's picture. He said that the man didn't have enough in cash on hand and tried to get them to sell it for what he had. Apparently he got a little irate. When the store's guard threatened to escort him out, he had to pull out his visa." _

"That's amazing that he remembered. We're going to have to spring for a few steak dinners when all of this is done," Damon rakes his fingers through his dark locks.

_"The guys have earned it." _

"Don't say anything to her family. I don't want to get their hopes up. As promising as this sounds, it could easily fizzle out, we have nothing that will hold up in a court of law."

_"Agreed. I'll talk to you soon," Enzo ends the call. _

Damon clicks it off then turns to face the clerk. "Thank you," he nods, takes the key from her, leaves the lobby to find his room._ It's been a long day._

* * *

The next morning, Damon receives a call from Captain Bennett asking him to return to the station. He slips the .45 caliber into his shoulder holster, throws his suit jacket on and goes to the lobby to grab a cup of coffee and a pastry from the motel's continental breakfast, enjoying it as he drives back to the Ashland Police Department.

"Good morning," Damon greets Luke when he enters the building.

"Hello Ranger Salvatore, you here to see the chief?"

"If she's available," Damon confirms.

"She is," Luke shows him to the office.

"Ranger Salvatore! Pour yourself a cup of coffee and have a seat."

"It's Damon," he insists and takes a long pull from his cup, savoring the delicious taste of her coffee. "What brand is this?"

"Black Rifle, it's a veteran owned and operated company, a childhood friend of my granddaughter works for them."

"Good to know, now why did you ask me to come back?"

"I did a little snooping on Dr. Maxfield. His record is pretty clear, a couple of speeding tickets, had a DUI but it was pled down so it wouldn't affect his medical school acceptance."

"I flew out here in a hurry, I didn't take time to run by my house and grab my computer. Do you happen to have an address for his office?" Damon slides to the edge of his chair.

It's actually a suite of offices, I mean several physicians rent space in that building, Here you go," she hands him a piece of paper with the location written on it.

"Thank you," Damon stands to shake her hand, "for your invaluable help."

"Anytime, you take care of yourself," she walks him outside, waving when he pulls onto the street and drives away.

* * *

While en route, Damon's phone rings so he clicks it on speaker.

_"Damon, it's Kai, I have some good news." _

"Enzo told me about the pendant," Damon slows down to stop at a red light.

_"It's more than that, we finally got the pawn shop's surveillance footage back from the FBI in DC. They have access to NASA software to clean up the blurry images."_

"And?" Damon steps on the gas when the light changes, hanging a right turn on the next block.

_"The person who pawned Katherine Mikaelson's jewelry was Sloane Barstow." _

"Excellent work, Kai on everything. I told Enzo steak's on me when this is all done."

"I'll hold you to it," he chuckles.

"Please do... I also think it's time you and the Huntington PD pay a visit to Miss Barstow."

_"I'm already at the airport," Kai laughs. _

"It goes without saying but keep me up to speed."

_"Talk to you soon, Damon." _

"Yep," Damon clicks off the phone then pulls onto 11th avenue, soon reaching his destination and after parking the car, he runs his hand over his shoulder holster then walks towards the building, hoping to meet the elusive Dr. Maxfield.

* * *

Trotting up the stairs, Damon pulls open the door and steps aside, nodding at a pregnant woman holding a little boy's hand.

"Thank you," she smiles at him then hurries on her way.

Walking inside, he looks around the interior of the building, there's a nice ambience to the place. Soft colors and tiled floors. Noticing the address board near the elevator, he approaches it and rakes his eyes over it, finally finding Dr. Wesley M. Maxfield - General Surgery on the 7th floor. He tightens his fist when the elevator dings, again backing away enough to allow the occupants to exit before entering himself. He takes a breath when it stops on the seventh floor. Looking left to right, he turns in the direction of the man's office number. When he's still several feet away, he stops short when the man himself appears. Damon stands back slightly and observes, he's talking to a woman, long, wavy blonde hair, tall frame and slender body much like that of a runway model.

Damon turns around to get a swallow from the water fountain when he and the young woman approach and once they're ahead of him, he falls in behind, quickly ducking into their elevator before the doors close. Upon arrival at the ground floor, the doctor kisses the woman, she cups his cheek and smiles before walking into another office suite. Damon picks up the pace and catches up to the man just as he reaches the bottom step.

"Dr. Maxfield?"

He stops and turns, looking at Damon curiously. "Do I know you?"

"No... but I know you," Damon pulls out his badge and shows it to the man. "I'm Ranger Salvatore and I'm here to talk to you about Katherine Gilbert-Mikaelson."

* * *

_There really are no words to sufficiently thank you all. Your support means everything to us. _

_Chapter title: 'Photograph' by Ringo Starr._

_Huge thanks to Eva for helping me bring these characters to life._

_I did post chapter one of "My Heart Will Go On" Tuesday. It's a short period piece set on the "Titanic" and hope you'll give it a look. _

_Please be safe and take care of yourselves. So far no Corona virus at my hospital, I hope it stays that way. Have a wonderful weekend, we'll see you next week with chapter 10 of this and the next installment of MHWGO. _


	10. Suspicion

"Cheer up, Elena, you need to have a little fun. You know as well as I do that Katherine would not want you to be so sad all the time," Caroline nudges her friend as they walk down the boardwalk at the Galveston Island Pleasure Pier, stopping at the 5D theatre ride to face a Megalodon shark. "It'll be fun," she pays for their tickets, links arms with a Elena and drags her inside.

"I know that, Caroline but it just seems so selfish of me to be doing things like this when she's buried under six feet of dirt. She loved sharks, for her Shark Week was like Christmas week at our house when we were growing up."

"Elena, your sister would not begrudge you living your life. I mean, you can't just sit in a corner and let it pass you by," she points to a couple of seats and they make their way over there and sit down. Leaning close to her she adds in a whisper, "When this is done, we'll get a funnel cake."

"You and your funnel cakes," Elena chuckles and quickly covers her mouth when a chorus of "shushes" answer her laughter. Several minutes later they come out and her heart is pounding at being scared in a fun way. She's happy Caroline insisted she accompany her to the pier today. Truthfully she's been feeling kind of lonely since Nik moved out with Nadia and Noah. Although she misses them, she doesn't want to be put in a position for the_ incident_ to be repeated.

"Let's have a turn on that," Elena points to the rollercoaster, "Then we'll get that funnel cake."

"You're on and we have to go the Pirate's plunge too," she adds when they get in line for the ride. "Have you heard anymore from that cute Ranger you were telling me about?"

"I haven't actually talked to him. I try to call his office once a week, sometimes more to see if there's anything new on Katherine's case but apparently he's out of town on a work related matter."

"Maybe it is related to her case, you never know?" they show the man their entrance bracelets then take a seat and secure their safety belts.

"I don't know, but thanks, Care, it feels good to let loose but I feel guilty too, I wish there was something I could do to help him catch Katherine's killer," her voice trails off when the cart drags itself up without effort as Elena's hands tighten on the bar and her breath quickens in anticipation and fear.

"You're welcome," she starts then looks over the side as the roller coaster begins its climb. "It's awfully high isn't it?"

"It says it has a 100 foot vertical drop, tracks at 52 miles per hour and there's four full inversions," Elena looks over her shoulder just as it speeds up. She hears the creaking of the cart moving and with that everyone starts screaming as it races forward, she wants to close her eyes but she can't manage to keep them closed.

After the ride's over, Elena gets out with a stumble and starts walking out making sure she doesn't bump into any walls. "that was so awesome" she screams making the people who are nearby jump, for the moment, letting go at least for a little while of the oppressive feeling that she shouldn't be having fun when her sister can't...

"It was epic!" Caroline squeals back, links arms with Elena, dragging her towards the funnel cake shack before tackling the Pirate's Plunge.

* * *

"Texas Ranger?" Wes Maxfield looks at him incredulously.

"Yes, sir. Can we talk for a few minutes?"

"You can walk with me to my car, I'm due at the hospital for a surgery," he hurries down the stairs and heads towards the parking lot. "You said this was about Katherine?"

"Yes, she was murdered at her home a few weeks ago. I'm here to ask you about that."

"What did you just say?" he stops in his tracks and turns to face Damon.

"I said that Katherine was murdered in her home a couple of weeks ago."

Damon observes his body language carefully, he's not actually surprised when there isn't much of a reaction.

"I hope you're looking into that husband of hers. I warned her about him..."

"I'm not here to talk about him, I want to know about your relationship with her."

"We had an affair, she ended things with me, got married and left the area," he tells Damon very matter-of-factly and void of emotion.

"How did you feel about that?" Damon looks at him.

"We were lovers, I was engaged to another woman at the time who's now my wife so I'd prefer this be kept quiet. Katherine was good, very good...," he looks away for a moment, "I didn't really want to give that up and neither did she but her new husband made her leave. Between you and me, I believe he was jealous of what she and I had..."

"Jealous?"

"I brought out the passion in her, she was tomcat in bed if you know what I mean," he smirks at Damon. "That man didn't like that I was a better lover. Despite that, she chose him when I told her I didn't want kids. I heard she popped out a couple of babies... In the end, she moved on and so did I. Frankly, I don't know where they went after they left Virginia. Is there anything else?" Dr. Maxfield stops when he reaches a Maserati convertible.

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"I told you, when she broke up with me," he unlocks and opens his door. "Is that all? I need to get to the hospital."

Damon catches his incessant blinking and is more than interested in his braggadocio but as a seasoned professional, he maintains a neutral demeanor. "For now, but I'd like to ask you a few more questions when you're free to sit down with me."

"Call my office," he slides behind the wheel, slams the door closed and speeds out of the parking structure in his Maserati so fast that his tires squeal as he makes a right turn onto the road.

* * *

Damon drives over to the hospital knowing that Katherine was there for some reason although he knows he can't get any medical records without a warrant. He's surprised when he sees Elijah Mikaelson walking down the hall with a man in scrubs and a lab coat.

"Counselor?" Damon approaches him.

"Hello, Ranger Salvatore. This is my brother, Dr. Finn Mikaelson."

Damon shakes his hand, "Dr. Mikaelson, can I ask you a couple of questions?"

Finn looks at Elijah who nods affirmatively and leads them into an empty conference room. "Elijah tells me you're working on Katherine's murder. I'll be of any assistance I can."

Damon says thanks when Finn hands him and Elijah a cup of coffee. "Do you know Dr. Wes Maxfield, he's a surgeon?"

"We're not friends but I know who he is. We're cordial but that's about it."

"Did you ever see him with Katherine, I mean before she and your brother got together?" Damon takes a long swallow of coffee.

"I can't go into specifics because of privacy laws but I did see her once. She had been admitted by one of my colleagues but I was assigned to her the next day. When I went to see her, Dr. Maxfield was in the room. I have no idea what they were talking about and I can't disclose anything else about her care. I can tell you that I didn't know who he was at the time. I hadn't forgotten all about it till Nik brought her home to introduce her. I wouldn't probably have remembered her even then cause I see so many patients on a day to day basis, she's the one who brought it up."

"Thank you, Dr. Mikaelson, I appreciate your help," he shakes his hand again. When he reaches the door, he says over his shoulder, "I'll see you back in Texas, counselor."

* * *

Stepping out of the bathtub, Elena dries off, slips on an old fleece nightgown then crawls into bed. She tries to read a book but finds herself reading the same paragraph over and over so she sets it on her bedside stand and reaches for the remote. Scrolling through the channels, she finally settles on "Gone With the Wind" on TCM but knows she'll fall asleep long before Rhett delivers his most famous line.

Soon her eyes fall closed but the sound of her phone jars her awake. Blindly she reaches over and clicks it on. "Hello," she yawns.

_"Hello Elena, you sound tired?" _

"Damon, hi and yes, I was just about asleep."

_"I just wanted to check in with you. I miss seeing you storm into my office," he laughs. _

"My friend took me to the pier today, I mentioned the same thing," she smiles at the thought.

_"I'm glad, you deserved a time out after all you've been through. I wanted to touch base... I met Dr. Wes Maxfield today." _

Elena sits straight up in bed at hearing that name. "What? Tell me what you know."

_"He admitted having a relationship with your sister and that's about all I can tell you right now." _

"What do you think?"

_"Elena, I can't risk jeopardizing anything but let's just say, I have a few more questions for him."_

"As frustrating as it is, I understand. If he did have something to do with it, I don't want him to get free on some sort of technicality."

_"Thank you for understanding. Did you have fun at the pier?" _

"I did, Caroline's a good friend," she slides back under the covers with the phone between the pillow and her ear.

_"I'd like to take you there sometime."_

"That would be nice," her voice trails off and Damon knows she's just about down for the count.

_"Happy dreams, sweet lady," he whispers then ends the call. _

"Goodnight," Elena mumbles, falling asleep to the sound of his voice.

* * *

"So what is it that you want from me?" Dr. Maxfield leans back in his expensive office chair with his fingers tented.

"Can you tell me where you were on November 2nd?"

"Do I need my attorney here?"

"That's up to you, Dr.," Damon replies, looking up to meet the man's dark blue eyes.

"On November 2nd," he turns to his computer. "On that day, I was removing a gall bladder. If you doubt me, you just have to check the hospital records. They can't give you the patient's name but they can tell you that I was clocked in so you see, it's physically impossible for me to have been in Galveston on that date."

Damon looks up but doesn't say anything about the man's faux pas. "I will check that out. We have a witness who says your breakup with Mrs. Mikaelson was acrimonious at best. Would you care to elaborate on that?"

"Who would that be? Katherine had no family around here to confide in."

I'm not at liberty to say but can you answer my question?"

"Fine, I didn't want our relationship to end. We had fun together, she was great in the sack, I told you that, I was her priority. Name me one guy who would want to give that up," Wes stares at Damon.

Their interview is cut short when the doctor's secretary steps in. "Excuse me, Dr. Wesfield, they need you at the hospital for an emergency consult."

"Thanks Hayley, tell them I'm on my way."

She nods and ducks out of the room.

"Thank you for your time, Dr.," Damon tips his hat and leaves the office with a smile on his face.

* * *

"Enzo," Damon picks his phone when he reaches his rental car. "I just left the doctor's office."

_"And what did you feel?" _

"He's dirty alright, it's just proving it. He knew she was murdered in Galveston without me identifying the city."

_"And Texas is a big place, how would he know where she was murdered unless..."_

"I want to give him the feeling that he's off the hook. I'm going to fly home."

_"That's why I was calling, I was going to suggest you fly or drive to Huntington, West Virginia to speak with Miss Barstow." _

"Why?"

_"She's in custody. According to Kai, she's adamant about not knowing about the murder beforehand and that she only pawned the necklace after finding out that Markos was dead. She did pass a polygraph and you know him, he's always been able to read people, like he has a sixth sense about these things..." _

"And what is his sixth sense telling him?"

_"He believes her but wants you to hear her story too, she may know something and just needs to have her memory jarred a bit?" _

"Alright, I guess I'm going to West Virginia, I'll be in touch," Damon clicks off the phone. Rather than go to the airport, he exits onto Interstate 77 for the 6 hour drive to Huntington all the while wondering how they're going to be able to prove Dr. Maxfield's role in the murder for hire scheme that claimed Katherine Mikaelson's life.

* * *

_Tremendous thanks to all of you. The flu virus tends to wane in warmer weather, hopefully this virus will behave the same way. When I'm admitting a patient, we have vaccine questions, the flu one is only on the admit database from October till April for the same reason._

_I did update my DE Titanic story yesterday. I love dropping them into the past because they're perfect together no matter the era. _

_Chapter title: 'Suspicion' by Elvis Presley._

_Thank you Eva - for everything. _

_Have a terrific day and I truly hope life will soon return to normal. We'll see you next time. _


	11. Welcome to My Nightmare

With a bouquet of winter flowers in her hands, Elena enters the cemetery and walks the somber path to Katherine's grave. She comes to a stop when she reaches the freshly turned up ground with the small temporary marker till her headstone arrives. Dropping to her knees, she spreads the flowers over the soil and already tears are leaking from her eyes.

Unable to wipe the nightmarish scene from her mind, Elena swallows hard and pinches her eyes shut. On _that_ day, she remembers the unfamiliar roar in her ears as she walked through the house till she saw her -_ Katherine -_ lying motionless in the kitchen, her face, clothes, arms and the floor surrounding her covered in red. At first the enormity of what she'd seen was so stunning that she didn't believe it was real. She stepped back and with numb fingers started to call 911 but then she clicked it off. Had she_ really_ seen her sister lying on the floor in all that blood? After retracing her steps and finding _her_ still there, she again pushed those three numbers.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, she sounds raspy as her voice is thick with emotion, "Hi Katherine, it's me. Today is Thanksgiving, Jenna and Ric are cooking so you know, we'll probably end up going to a diner or something," Elena smiles sadly at her childhood memories of doing the same.

"Nik and the babies flew to Virginia for the holiday, they'll be back in a couple of weeks. He hasn't said anything but I can't shake the feeling that he'll probably move back. Mikael and Esther are there to help him. I would miss them terribly but I know he has to do what he thinks is right for the three of them..."

A cool draught of air whips over the waves, bringing a taste of the ocean with it. It is the unseen part of the shoreline that conjures more memories than the pebbles or the rotting posts of the old pier. It howls in a low whistle, tossing her hair roughly.

"Oh God, Katherine, I miss you so much, there's so many things I want to tell you, to share with you, I want your advice on Damon but I haven't told you about him have I? Damon is a Texas Ranger, he's working hard to find out who did this to you. I promise no matter how long it takes, whatever it may cost or whatever I have to do, I'll make sure that your killer is brought to justice," she reaches into her bag to pull out a Kleenex to dab her eyes. "I'm sorry, I know you always hated it when I would cry, it's still just so incomprehensible that you're gone... We were supposed to grow old together, support each other, be godmother's to our children. It's so wrong that I have to visit you here."

Elena wipes her tears, swallows thickly, takes a breath and stands up to leave. "I'll see you soon, Katherine," she drops her chin to her chest for several seconds till she regains her composure, then turns around and slowly walks out of the cemetery.

* * *

Stabbing a piece of turkey, Elena sticks it in her mouth and follows it with a swallow of water. Surprisingly Jenna and Ric have made a delicious meal. She suspects that Jeremy coming home had something to do with that. "It's good," she smiles at her aunt but inside she's not feeling it. The big elephant in the room is Katherine's forever absence... Her thoughts go to Nik, Nadia, Noah and then to Damon, just the sound of his name brings a little light to her otherwise dark mood.

"Elena," Jeremy starts, "I'm going to go for a walk on the beach, would you like to join me?"

"I'd like that," she nods and finishes cleaning off her plate.

"What about football?" Ric interrupts, sticking another bun in his mouth.

"Dad, we won't be gone all afternoon," Jeremy winks at Elena.

"Can you help me clean off the table first?" Jenna looks at her and starts picking up dirty dishes.

"Sure," she grabs the turkey platter and follows her to the kitchen. She sets it on the kitchen table and is about to go back to the dining room when Jenna grabs her arm and pulls her into a hug.

"I know it's hard, Elena, I miss her too. I raised the two of like my own daughters. I know when you're sad or when something is eating at you."

"It's only been a few weeks, how does one get over something like this? We were little when mom and dad died. That was just a stupid accident, but this - for her to be murdered, I don't know how to process it."

"Sweetheart, grief doesn't have a time table, and people handle it differently. Some are able to move on seemingly right away and other people it lingers and doesn't want to release its hold. I can't tell you when to stop all I ask is that you talk to me or your uncle." Jenna pushes a piece of hair behind her ear.

"You ready to go?" Jeremy pokes his head in the door.

"Let me grab my jacket," Elena kisses Jenna's cheek, adding, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, now go on, he's waiting for you."

Elena bobs her head, gives Jenna's hand a squeeze then hurries to join Jeremy.

* * *

"Can I get you some pumpkin pie?" the waitress April asks, refilling Damon and Kai's coffee cups.

"Sure, why not?" Damon agrees.

"Do you want it with or without whipped cream?"

"I definitely want whipped cream," Kai nods and smiles at the older woman.

"This is one Thanksgiving to remember," Damon turns to look outside. Snow dances in the light, a choreographed ballet conducted by the gentle wind. As he watches his eyes grow a tiny bit wider, remembering how he and Stefan loved to corrupt the pristine blanket of snow with their playful feet and hands when they were little boys. Intricate patterns of ice float weightlessly downward from the pure white sky above, each flake swirling and dancing.

Kai chuckles, "Yeah, I never thought I'd be spending it with you, no offense but I have a girlfriend that I'd rather be snuggling with."

"Why didn't you say something? You could've flown home," Damon smiles when April returns with their pie.

"No, I want to see this case through," he picks up his fork and takes a bite, nearly moaning at how good the pumpkin pie is.

"Thanks Kai, I'm lucky to have men like you on my side. Speaking of work, we're going to meet with Miss Barstow and her attorney tomorrow?"

"We really don't have anything on her except pawning stolen goods so the judge granted her bail. She and her attorney, some guy named Cooke are supposed to be at the station at 9 tomorrow morning. I believe her that she knew nothing of her brother's plans but I also can't shake the feeling that she may know more than even she realizes. It's weird."

"Tell me about her," Damon finishes his pie and pushes his plate away.

"She and Markos weren't close. He fell into a bad crowd, started doing drugs, selling drugs, you saw his police record. He'd only show up if he needed money or needed a warm bed. He was her brother and she couldn't turn him down. When he borrowed her car, he told her it was for a job interview to work on one of the oil rigs in the Gulf. It was an old car, one that she hadn't been driving anymore. She told me that she was going to advertise to sell for a couple hundred bucks, then he showed up so she let him take it. As you know, he returned it and disappeared. She found the necklaces in his room so she took them."

"Captain Guerrera told me that he had $5000.00 in cash on him when he was arrested. They should be sending it to his next of kin, which is her," Damon taps the tabletop with his fingertips. "Who gave him that much in cash and was it the price paid to murder Katherine Mikaelson?"

"This has all the earmarks of a murder for hire, we just have to get the evidence otherwise the DA will never take it to trial."

"Everything rides on that," Damon takes the bill when April returns. After paying it and leaving her a nice tip, the two men walk through the snow back to their hotel.

* * *

Having said goodnight to Kai, Damon retires to his own room, takes a shower then makes himself comfortable on the bed, picks up the remote and starts to scroll through the channels. Finally settling on an old Bogart movie, he sets it aside and pulls up the covers. His eyes are just dropping closed when his phone rings, startling him awake. A lazy smile forms on his face when he sees who it is.

"Elena, Happy Thanksgiving."

_"To you as well. Did you have a nice day with your family?" _

"I'm not actually with my family, I'm in West Virginia," he shifts onto his side and turns down the volume.

_"West Virginia?"_ she asks, sitting up straighter in bed.

"Yes, I'm here with one of my guys to interview the sister of Markos Barstow."

_"Do you think she knows something?"_ Elena bites on her lower lip, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I don't know, Elena and I don't want to make promises I can't keep but my hope is that she does. But you didn't call to ask about her..."

_"No, I called to hear your voice. I like you Damon and I trust you. Believe me, that's not always an easy thing for me to give." _

"I like you too, very much and thank you for trusting me. I'll do everything in my power not to erode that. When I get home, I want to take you out, someplace nice," he feels himself become aroused at just the thought of being with her.

_"I want that too, and Damon, I'm not attracted to you only because of what you're doing for Katherine. What I feel, I can't explain it other than to say it's the most real thing I've ever felt in my entire life." _

"That's exactly how it feels for me too, Elena," he echoes the sentiment.

_"I have to go, my cousin is yelling for me to come downstairs. It's a Saltzman tradition to play Uno on Thanksgiving evening. Goodnight, Damon." _

"Goodnight, Elena," he repeats softly, clicking off his phone only after she ends the call.

* * *

The room is every shade of grey, from washed out concrete to almost steel-blue. Every line is straight, every corner sharp, and the chairs looking as comfortable as a train station bench. Damon moves forward in his seat. There's no back wall to the interview room, only tempered glass.

"So Miss Barstow, what can you tell us about your brother?" Damon asks as he stares at the young brunette.

"I swear, I didn't know what he was up to. Markos and I were close once but that changed when he was a junior or senior in high school. He started hanging out with the low lifes, using drugs and drinking. He dropped out of school and would disappear for days, sometimes weeks even months at a time. I could always count on him to turn up when he ran out of money or if he needed something, a favor, an alibi - anything. Despite who he turned into, he was still my family, the older brother I once looked up to," she pauses to take a drink of water.

"I had that old car, I was going to either sell it at the scrapyard or try to get a couple hundred bucks selling it to a kid. Markos showed up, said he had a great job opportunity to work on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Said they'd pay him good money and that he'd send me something for the car after he got settled. I should have known better than to take him at face value... I guess I wanted to believe it. Several days later, he returned it, left the keys inside my place then disappeared. I caught him just as he was about to leave, he said he had to go and that he'd be in touch. That's the last time I saw him."

"Do you remember the type of people he ran around with?"

"You're a Texas Ranger, surely you know how addicts and people who prey on others look. Disheveled, missing teeth, some skeletal looking from meth. Markos didn't use that crap, heroin though he sometimes dabbled in. Mostly he liked pot and ecstasy... But there was one time..." she looks at Tripp Cooke her attorney. "It was one of those times, he'd show up for a few days or a couple weeks. We went to Walmart to get some things, groceries, cat food, some nails so he could do a little work for me at the house. On the way home, we stopped to get gas. I went inside to use the bathroom and to get a soda. When I came out, I saw him talking to a really well dressed guy who was leaning against a Maserati. He was wearing expensive everything, it was obvious. You don't see cars like that around here... They seemed to be deep in conversation so I kept my distance, I didn't know who this guy was, he could've been a dealer? It looked like he handed Markos something, then he jumped in his car and sped away. When I asked Markos if he knew him, he said no that the guy just wanted directions. I didn't quite believe him but I didn't pursue it either."

"Do you think you could identify that man?" Damon's heart races at the thought but he doesn't want to get his hopes up either. The man she saw could be anyone and the encounter she described could be entirely innocent too.

"I think so, I got a pretty good look at him," she looks up, her brown eyes meeting Damon's blue ones.

"Do you remember when that was?" Kai's asks, commanding their attention.

"Let me think for a moment," she rests her chin into her palm and drops her eyes.

"It could be nothing or it could be very significant..." Damon adds, his line of sight drifting to Kai's.

"It was at the end of August when that Gulf hurricane was all over the news," she sits upright, "I remember because I asked Markos about that when he told me he was going down there."

"Thank you... That'll be all today, Miss Barstow, your cooperation may prove to be invaluable. Will you be available to view a photo line up when we can get our ducks in a row?"

"Yes," she agrees after her attorney nods his approval.

"You're free to go, thank you again," Damon shakes her hand, and watches as she and Mr. Cooke vacate the room, pulling the door closed behind them. "If she can positively identify_ him..."_

"Then we're one step closer to making an arrest," Kai finishes his sentence.

"But it could be anyone and the encounter as innocent as Markos claimed..."

"It could," Kai agrees.

"Come on, let's see if we can get a photo of the doctor and probably one of Niklaus Mikaelson too," Damon pulls open the door allowing Kai to pass before trailing after him.

* * *

_"Katherine wait," Elena runs after her, following her into the labyrinth. She feels her way through the shabby twisting hedgerows of the maze, all of them twice as tall as she is. Each turn she makes, it seems she's back to where she started. Although certain she saw her sister slip in here, she's met with only silence when she calls out her name. _

_When she turns the next corner, she gasps at the amount of red liquid pooling at her feet and splattered on the leaves. Horrified but wanting to help, she stoops down to the prone body. Blood flows thickly over her fingers. Elena skitters backwards but is stopped by the wall of the maze when the corpse heaves, causing more of the scarlet colored fluid to run down her hands. _

_Elena doesn't know what's kind of a nightmare she's entombed in but as she watches, the body moves through the dappled shade of the woodland, her corpse is alternately cast in light and shadow, her skin ghostly pale, so much whiter than she had been in life. Having no control over her movements, Elena follows after her. When at last they come to an old oak, the ground turned up for her burial, Elena's legs give way beneath her. One minute she and Katherine were playing in the maze, the next she finds herself here, cradling her sister's head and begging her not to die._

"Elena, wake up," Jenna clutches her upper arms and shakes till her eyes snap wide open. "Thank God, you scared me, the way you were screaming."

"I'm so... sorry," she drops her head onto Jenna's shoulder, allowing her aunt to gently run her palm over her back.

"You don't have to be sorry, it was a nightmare."

Pulling back, Elena looks at Jenna's face and her chin begins to tremble like that of a small child. A single tear leaks from her cloudy brown eyes, followed by another one, and another until a steady stream of salty tears trail down her cheeks.

Raw anguish burns through her veins when she chokes out the words, "How can you call it a _nightmare_ if it doesn't leave even when I'm awake?"

* * *

_I know it's a scary time and if another chapter can take your minds off this for a couple of minutes, we're happy to do so. Thanks so much for all that you do for Eva and me. And thank you to my sweet sister Eva. She's talked me off the ledge many times over the course of our fanfic experience. _

_Chapter title: 'Welcome to My Nightmare' by Alice Cooper. _

_Hurricane Harvey hit Galveston in August of 2017. _

_Let us know what you think and have a wonderful weekend. Hopefully the tide will turn soon. And actually there have been 23K flu deaths in the United States for the 2019-2020 flu season. Just take care of yourselves. _


	12. I Want You To Want Me

_"Good morning, Ranger Salvatore, This is Chief Fell." _

"Good morning, I take it you're calling me for a reason?" Damon asks, immediately sitting up in his motel room bed.

_"Yep, Miss Barstow and her attorney brought in a laptop that she found in her brother's room. She was cleaning and noticed a loose floor board."_

"Interesting... I wonder why he'd go to all that trouble to keep it hidden?"

_"That, my friend is as they say the million dollar question..." _

"I'll be down there as soon as I throw some clothes on. Thanks Chief," Damon ends the connection. After calling Kai to get ready, he jumps into the shower, forgoes shaving, grabs his hat and hurries outside where his cohort is already waiting at their rental car.

As soon as the vehicle stops, Damon flies out of his seat and into the Huntington Police station. "We're here to see Chief Fell," he tells the woman at the desk just as Kai steps beside him.

"He's expecting you," she smiles and tells them to go in.

There sitting on the man's huge oak desk is a laptop, the silver top scratched and the corners dented. When he raises it, the screen has a small crack in it. "It's in rough shape," the older man points out the obvious.

"Does Sloane happen to know the password?" Damon pushes the power button but nothing happens.

"No, she doesn't, that's the first thing I asked too," the white-haired man informs them.

"It needs to be charged at the very least," a frustrated look mars Damon's features.

"Yep...," Chief Fell meets Damon's stare.

"Do you have a cord that will fit?" Kai adds, looking at the decrepit computer.

"No, we don't. This is old, really old."

"Chief, can we take it to a forensic computer examiner? Do you know anyone?" Damon asks, flopping down in one of the chairs.

"Actually I know a very good one. Her name's Gia Russo, she's worth her weight in gold."

"Can we get her here or get this computer to her?"

"You're in luck, she grew up in this town, her mother is the lunch lady at one of the local elementary schools. I believe she's in town for the holiday weekend," Chief Fell picks up his phone and chats with someone. Kai and Damon are only privy to one side of the conversation but the man has a smile on his face when he hangs up.

"She'll be here as soon as she can."

"That's fantastic. Now we just need to do a photo lineup with Sloane Barstow, hopefully she'll recognize the man we suspect to be the one who wanted Katherine Mikaelson dead."

"And I have more good news for you. Chief Bennett in Ashland sent me a picture of the man. We also have one of Niklaus Mikaelson, found it in Virginia police database. Seems as a young man, he got into a little trouble while he was in college, nothing serious but enough to warrant a spot on it. We'll mix them with 8 other criminals so she'll have 10 pictures to look at."

"How soon can we get her here?"

"I'll call her attorney right now," he picks up his phone again. Turning his back to Damon and Kai, he talks to Mr. Lockwood, asking him to bring Sloane to the police station as soon as it can be arranged. Turning around, he clicks it off and tosses it on his desk. "They'll be here at 3 this afternoon, so you fellas don't have to hang around here."

"What is there do in Huntington for the next few hours?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked. Our little town actually has a lot to offer. You can have a visit at the Heritage Farm Museum and Village, We have an art museum and another one of radio and technology. There's Heritage Station and Ritter Park. There's a plethora of things for you to do."

Damon laughs, "Thanks Chief, we'll have to check some of those out. We'll see you this afternoon," Damon shakes his hand, followed by Kai and together the two visiting lawmen leave the station to kill some time...

* * *

"Thanks for asking me to help out, Caroline, it feels good to think about something else," Elena smiles and dishes out a bowl of hot soup to each person as they go through the line at the mission.

"I thought it would do you good. When we're done here, we're going to the mall to set up the angel tree. People can pick a child and buy them presents."

"I think that's a great idea. I think I'll choose one myself too."

"That's great, but you'll have your niece and nephew too."

"They're not going to be home for Christmas, they're staying in Virginia..." her voice trails off. The idea of them moving is weighing heavily on her mind. Despite the awkward moment with Nik, she doesn't want her family - Katherine's family gone.

"Did he say anything?" Caroline smiles when she gives a little boy a turkey sandwich to dunk in his soup.

"No, he's been very edgy if you will when I talk to him, like he's planning something but wants to keep it close to the vest."

"Since?" Caroline arches an eyebrow.

"He kissed me, it didn't mean anything and I told him no but he's been distant ever since. He wants a mother for his kids but I can't take Katherine's place... Maybe some woman can, he's attractive, kind, that roguish smile of his is what attracted Katherine in the first place but I don't feel that way about him."

"Understandable," she agrees and hands out the last sandwich. "Looks like we're done for the day. Let's help Bree clean up and then we can get out of here."

"Sounds good," Elena puts the ladle to her lips and drinks the last swallow of soup before picking up the pot to carry it into the facility's kitchen. After doing the dishes, they put everything away, then two friends grab their coats and head for the mall to take care of the next order of business.

* * *

"Gia, it's good to see you, come in," Chief Fell extends his arm for her to have a seat.

"It's good to see you too, my mom sends her regards," Gia shakes his hand then looks at the two other men in the room.

"I'd like to introduce you to Ranger Damon Salvatore and Detective Kai Parker. They're here about a murder in Galveston, they believe the man who pulled the trigger was Markos Barstow. To make a long story short, we have his laptop and are hoping you'll be able to garner some useful information from it," the man points to it on his desktop.

"I guess my first question would be - what kind of information are you expecting to find or should I rephrase that, hoping to find?"

"Our victim was a young mother of twins. We haven't completely written off her husband yet, however we're quite interested in her former lover, a Richmond surgeon, name's Wesley Maxfield. In the best case scenario, we're hoping you may find some correspondence between the two of them? If there isn't any," Damon shrugs his shoulders, "We'll have to go back to square one."

"We need to fill out the chain of evidence paperwork, I'll have to take the computer back to my lab in Quantico. I'll stop and pick it up tomorrow on my way home."

"That would be great Gia," Chief Fell smiles at her.

"Here's my card," Damon hands it to her. "If you find anything, I'm available any time day or night."

"This is important to you?" she looks at him.

"It is, the young woman was found by her sister, her 18 month old babies were covered in her blood so yeah, it is important to put whoever arranged her murder away for a long time."

"That's so sad, I'll do what I can, I can't promise I'll find anything but I'll use every tool I have available in my arsenal to get that computer to tell its story."

"Thank you Miss Russo," Damon stands when she does to shake her hand as does Kai.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Chief, we'll fill out the paperwork then I'll head back to Charleston and get to work."

"We appreciate that, Gia, I'll see you tomorrow," he shows her out while Damon and Kai share a look before sitting back down and wait for the clock to strike 3...

* * *

Finally the moment has arrived. Sloane Barstow is sitting in the interrogation room with her attorney, Tripp Cooke beside her. Chief Fell meticulously lays out the 10 photos on the table in front of her. Damon and Kai stay out of the room because Tobias didn't want anything - their presence namely - to influence her decision, like facial mannerisms when she picks up _the_ pictures. Of course Damon argued that both he and Kai are the utmost in professionalism and can keep a straight face but in the end, he acquiesced to the Chief's wishes.

He's pacing back and forth in the man's office, frequently looking at either his watch or the wall clock. In the end, he steals a cigarette off his desk and goes outside to smoke it. Kai appears a few minutes later, sitting down on the steps beside Damon.

"Nerve wracking isn't it?"

"It really is, we should be in there," he kicks a loose stone in frustration.

"We should but every place does things differently, I'm sure it's nothing on you, Damon."

"Yeah I know, the Chief's a good man, it's just... " he takes a long drag from the cigarette.

"Since when do you smoke?" Kai snatches it from his fingers and takes a puff of his own.

"I don't really, only when I'm especially anxious like right now," Damon swipes it back, takes another drag then stomps it out as he blows smoke rings from his lips. Before he can say another word, he hears their names.

"The Chief wants you to come inside," the desk lady waves her arms for them to follow. "You know where they are," she points to interrogation room 1.

"Thanks," Damon nods and the two men open the door, meeting the Chief Fell's eyes as they enter.

Looking at Sloane Barstow, the middle-aged appearing man says to her, "Will you show Ranger Salvatore the man you saw talking to your brother that day?"

She nods, picks up the photo and hands it to Damon.

Damon's holding his breath and meets her eyes. "Are you absolutely sure this is the man?" His heart is pounding like a jackhammer inside his chest as he waits for her confirmation.

"Yes, I'm absolutely positive this is the man I saw with Markos."

_Dr. Wesley Maxfield._

* * *

"Nik, how are the kids?" Elena asks, stretching her legs out on the coffee table.

_"We're good, Elena. Mom and dad are spoiling the babies... We're going to take them to get a picture with Santa Claus tomorrow. I'll be sure to get one for you." _

"That would be great, Nik. I miss them, the house seems kind of empty."

_"I should tell you, Elena, I'm looking to transfer back here, nothing's set in stone yet but I'm going to start putting things in order there... If we do move, you can come here too whenever you'd like, I want you to have a relationship with them but I don't know if I want to go back there." _

"I figured as much, and I know that you need to do what you think is right but I'll miss you all," Elena runs her fingers the her hair and pushes it off her forehead.

_"You could relocate too..."_

"No, Nik, I can't, my home is here. You are coming back though aren't you, to get your things?"

_"Yes, we'll be back after New Year's, long enough to get everything packed up and to say goodbye to you Jenna and Ric **if**__ everything works out of course." _

She hears crying in the background. "You better go take care of them. I'll talk to you soon," she clicks off the device and lays it down on the cushion beside her. Laying her head back, Elena lets her eyes fall closed, it's been a long day and she's tired and soon sleep pulls her into unconsciousness.

* * *

As the passengers begin to disembark, Damon and Kai stand and wait their turn to slide into the center aisle so they too can exit the airplane. Their flight time was about 3 hours but they gained an hour, traveling from eastern standard time into the central time zone.

Damon's anxious to see Elena, more than anything, he wants to take her in his arms and kiss her fiercely. He's missed her but his thoughts are also on the case, they have a link between Katherine's killer and her ex lover but they need more or Wes will walk free. Fortunately and unfortunately, depending on perspective, Lady Justice sometimes moves very slowly.

Unconsciously, his fingers tap a measured cadence on the back of one of the seats when finally one of the other passengers lets he and Kai into the aisle and soon they're in the terminal, walking in a quick pace to catch a cab back to headquarters. His thoughts drift to Gia Russo, she may be the one to make or break their case - so much hinges on whether she finds any correspondence, something that might proove a more sinister link between the haughty Dr. Maxfield and Markos Barstow.

His gut instinct's telling him that Maxfield is the instigator of the murder scheme, he remembers how the man knew she was murdered in Galveston, he couldn't have known that unless... But he also knows that DA won't bring charges until they have enough evidence to prove their case. The worst possible outcome would be acquittal, they only have one shot at this due to the *double jeopardy standard.

"Did you see the Bigfoot lumbering down the sidewalk?"

"Yeah." It takes Damon a couple seconds to look up. "Bigfoot?"

"You were a million miles away," Kai laughs, quirking a brow in the manner of John Belushi.

"I was thinking of all the ways Maxfield might walk free the rest of his life and that young woman is dead," Damon sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"We're gonna get him, Damon. It may take longer than we want, one day at a time..."

Damon nods, steps out of the cab and tosses the driver a few bills. After saying goodbye to Kai, he goes direclty to his car, pounds the center counsel, turns the key and drives with singular purpose...

* * *

Damon pulls alongside the curb when he reaches her place. He turns off the car and looks to his right, his breath catches in his throat when her silhouette appears in the window. Even that sends shivers up his spine. Taking a breath, he gets out of his car, trots up her sidewalk and rings the bell. His heart starts to thrum wildly when the porch light comes on and the door opens.

_There she is. He doesn't even know why he's nervous... _

"Damon you're here?" she steps out and looks around, as if she thinks he's not alone.

"I hope you don't mind, I wanted to see you."

The corners of her mouth begin to lift and she steps back, silently inviting him inside.

She shuts the door, "I'm glad you came. I'm not going to ask you about your work, I don't want to put you in that position, one where you might think this," she motions back and forth between them with her index finger, "is only about her. It's not, I promise."

He looks at her for a moment and the next she feels his mouth on her forehead, her temple and her cheekbone. As her eyes close, his lips brush hers, so gentle it's almost like a whisper. They come back and press again, soft, warm and wet. Her hands are moving, sliding up his arms to his shoulders.

Then they're pulling tighter, pressing closer, his mouth on hers, and there it is again. That fire that burns inside her - the one that only Damon has ever made Her feel. She wants more of him, more of this. He picks her up, carries her to the couch and lays her down before covering her body with his. Hers thrills at the feeling of his weight. His mouth is against her neck and Damon moans against her skin. His fingers tug on her nightgown, exposing her shoulder and the top of her breast.

"Damon," she whispers, reaching up to touch his hair, to pull him closer.

"Elena," he breathes, and his mouth finds hers again, this time urgent and full of desire, and she lets him consume her...

* * *

_I don't know how many of you are football fans but Adam Vinatieri - he played for the Patriots and now is with the Indianapolis Colts - his mother was the lunch lady at my kids elementary school. Chief Fell mentioning Gia's mom made me think of that. :)_

_A basic purpose of the Double Jeopardy Clause is to protect a defendant "against a second prosecution for the same offense after conviction." It is "settled" that "no man can be twice lawfully punished for the same offense." _

_Chapter title: 'I Want You To Want Me' by Cheap Trick._

_We hope you all have a wonderful day given our circumstances. Thank you for everything. Take care, love you all. _


	13. Just Not Right Now

_Damon surges up, cutting her off with a kiss that silences anything and everything but his need to be with her. __His need to taste both corners of her mouth, to bury his nose in the crook of her neck and inhale the scent of jasmine, to feel every inch of his body against - inside - her own. _

_Her soft curves envelope him in the most torturous way, her lips seeking his, taking the breaths right out of his mouth. His hands tug even harder revealing her bare breast to him. He greedily latches on, working it with his lips, teeth and soothing the sting of his nibbles with his tongue. _

_She rakes her nails against his scalp, clutching him to her as she arches her back, pressing more of her nipple into his mouth. He lets out a deep growl, catches her hands and before she knows it, she's lying on the couch, with Damon hovering above her. _

_His mouth crashes onto hers and he's swallowing her whole while her soft cries resonate in his head. His hands move lower to lift her gown, hers tug on his shirt and boxers until they're both bare and panting. When Damon sinks inside her pliant body he almost loses it. He chokes at the emotions messing with his normally good sense and professionalism. _

_Again and again he buries himself inside her, the goddess that is Elena Gilbert and the sister of Katherine Mikaelson - her case - his top priority. He shouldn't be here, not now - maybe not ever but he can't help himself. She's a siren, calling for him to crash against the shore. _

_He loosens his grip when she breathes out heavily, her sweat dampened body glistening under the moonlight that's streaming in through the window. Damon holds her tightly till he feels her breathing even out. As carefully as possible, he stands up, fastens his jeans and puts his boots back on. He finds her bedroom or at least he thinks it's hers when he finds the TV remote at the bedside along with her cellphone. After pulling the covers back, he goes back to the living room, ever so gently lifts her into his arms and carries her to bed. _

_He tucks her in, brushes a kiss against her forehead and without so much as a note, he leaves her house, locking the door on his way out. _

* * *

Elena startles awake the next morning, surprised to find herself in her bed but frowns when she looks beside her to find that side of it unslept in.

_Where is he?_

Confused she pushes back the covers, throws her legs over the bed and goes to look for him, only to find her home empty except for herself. Thinking maybe he had to leave in a hurry, she goes back to her room to check her phone for messages.

Nothing.

Angry now, she grabs some clothes then goes into the bathroom to shower, get ready and pay a visit to Ranger Salvatore.

* * *

"You look a little worse for wear," Enzo walks in Damon's office the next morning holding a tall cup of coffee.

"Thanks," he takes a swallow of the strong stuff, cringing a little as it goes down. He sets it aside and drops his face in his hands to rub his eyes, he's fatigued having not slept at all the night before. After leaving Elena's, he came straight to his office to try to do some work on his other open cases. However as hard as he tries, _she_ occupies every waking thought.

_What was he thinking?_

"Do you want to talk about it?" Enzo flips the chair and sits on it backwards with his arms crossed over the back of it.

Damon looks up at him, he's going to have to make sure it doesn't happen again, at least not until they get the evidence they need to arrest Dr. Maxfield and charge him first degree premeditated murder.

Enzo stares at him, the two of them have been friends for a long time and with that insight, he's certain he knows what's bothering him. "What's going on with you?" he asks suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Damon avoids his searching gaze.

"You're sitting here like someone pissed in your Wheaties - I don't know, it just makes me think something… happened."

Damon sighs heavily, "I made a huge mistake." A torrent of words begin to spill out, "I went straight to Elena Gilbert's place from the airport, I couldn't help myself. I wanted her. We both…for a little while."

"What does that mean?"

"We…I…," he drops his chin to his chest. "I slept with her."

For a moment, Enzo stays quiet which puts Damon even more on edge. "You should regret it, what were you thinking?"

"What? No!" Damon shakes his head. "I don't regret being with Elena."

"You're the one who said you made a mistake."

"My mistake was sleeping with her while this case is still active," Damon clarifies. "It wasn't the act itself, she's amazing, perfect, beautiful and I'm completely crazy about her. It's just... I should've waited... I can't let myself get distracted from this case."

"Okay, so…" Enzo pauses, trying to process everything Damon's just thrown at him. "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know, Enzo, I can't put myself into a position to let it happen again... not until Maxfield is behind bars."

"Good luck with that..." Enzo gets up and leaves Damon to his thoughts...

* * *

_"I made a huge mistake." _

Gulping down half the glass of red wine, Elena curls her legs underneath her on the couch and closes her eyes, trying to drown out the painful words. After leaving his office unseen and unheard, she went to work and fortunately it was a busy day and didn't allow for her to dwell on it - till now.

Hurt is a spider web, intricate, yet strong. She knows in time it will pass and the sun will regain its warmth, but in this moment - the joy from her heart is gone. Now neither will ever know or find out what they might have been.

How foolish could she be? She should've known better but she thought her reassurance would mean something to him. For her, it's not about Katherine, it's what she feels... Did she delude herself into believing he felt it too or was she just a warm body for him last night? One thing's for sure, she isn't going to make that mistake a second time. She has a work trip next week that's been planned for months already, long before she met him and then it'll be Christmas. Quite honestly with everything going on in her life with Katherine, Nik and the babies, she had forgotten all about it till her boss reminded her only a few days ago. After this Damon debacle, she's anxious to leave town even if it's only for a week long conference.

The sound of her cellphone ringing snaps her out of her thoughts, seeing his name, she ignores it. When it rings again, she turns it off, refills her glass of wine then picks up the TV remote to find something to watch. Reaching for her soft fleece throw, she covers up then repositions herself onto her side, bringing her legs up in a fetal position to watch an old tearjerker, seems fitting given the mood she's in. Just as her eyes begin to droop, the doorbell startles her awake. She freezes hoping he'll go away but when she hears her best friend's voice, she throws off her blanket and answers the door.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asks, stepping aside to let her in.

"I hope you saved a little wine for me, it's early yet Elena, I brought food," she holds a brown paper bag up.

"If I wanted company, I would have asked you to come," Elena raises a brow, then goes back to the living room to pick up her glass, swallows what's left and fills it again.

Caroline shakes her head, goes into the kitchen to get herself a glass and some silverware so they can eat the Chinese food she brought. Returning, she sits down beside Elena, sets everything on the coffee table then grabs the bottle, tipping a generous amount into her own glass. "What are we drinking to?"

The alcohol is causing a warmth inside her body and Elena relaxes against the back of the couch again. "I stupidly slept with the Ranger. Cheers," Elena downs another half glass in a single gulp.

"Okay, that's enough," Caroline takes the bottle when she starts to reach for it again. Instead she hands her a container with garlic shrimp and scallops along with a fork.

"Party pooper," Elena sticks a forkful in her mouth.

"Why are you being like this, I thought you liked him?" Caroline empties the wine bottle into her own glass.

"I thought he liked me too but he was gone when I woke up. He didn't bother to leave a note so I went to his office. Idiot left his door ajar and I heard him say, "I made a huge mistake," she air quotes the sentence. I didn't stick around after that, I went to work and bought that bottle on my way home."

Taking a drink herself, Caroline savors it, rolling it around in her mouth before swallowing it. "How do you know that the huge mistake was you? He could have been talking about anything."

They drink in silence for a few moments, the alcohol blunting the sharp edges of Elena's anger, but having little effect on the pain and disappointment in her heart. "I know alright. After he said that sentence, he told whoever he was talking to that he went to my place straight from the airport. I didn't hang around to hear anymore."

"Oh Elena, I'm sorry," she slides over and wraps her friend in a hug. "Come on, let me put you to bed. Tomorrow we'll get you ready for your conference and you know what, I'm going to go to New Orleans with you. We can have those giant margaritas, eat beignets and crab legs. We'll have a wonderful time."

"You're the best, Care," she covers her mouth when she starts to yawn.

"Bedtime," Caroline pulls her to her feet, leads her to her room and helping her into her pajamas, tucks her in. "Goodnight, Elena," she whispers, turns out the light then pulls the door closed. Instead of going home, she cleans up their mess, makes herself a bed on the couch and imagines all the things she'd like to do to that Ranger for hurting her friend.

* * *

"I'm so glad you came along, Caroline," Elena bites into a beignet and has a ring of powdered sugar coating her mouth when she sets it back on the plate. Running her tongue around it, she sighs at the sweetness of it. They're having breakfast at the world famous Cafe Dumonde to partake in the French style doughnuts, lavishly covered in confectioner's sugar. The Original Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 in the city's French Market.

New Orleans is an eerie place. It's Gothic in one sense and dangerous in another. The city has a rich and colorful history and is the perfect place for scouting out the supernatural. It boasts a whole host of vampire, cemetery, voodoo, and ghost tours, which often last as long as two hours. It is known as one of the most haunted cities in America. Elena wants to experience all of it.

In preparation for the trip she went to the library and found a book on the most famous vampire legends of New Orleans - Count Saint Germain, Jacques Saint Germain , John Carter, Wayne Carter and also the Casket girls of New Orleans. She's pumped for the tour.

"I am too, I'm glad you finally have a free day because I have it all planned out. When we finish eating these scrumptious morsels, we're going to go the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park."

"That's fine for the daylight hours but tonight we're going to lurk with the undead," Elena winks at her.

"You play a good game, Elena," Caroline takes a long swallow of coffee after finishing her second beignet. After setting it down and waving at the waiter for a refill she continues. "How are you doing, about the Ranger guy?"

"Did you have to bring him up?" she smiles when the waiter fills their coffee cups.

"Elena?"

"I don't want to give him the satisfaction of breaking my heart... It was a dick move for him to leave without some kind of explanation or a goodbye. I'm past the denial part, now I'm mostly angry. Still when I let myself think about it, about what I thought we could be, it feels like concrete drying in my chest - honestly it took me by surprise that it would hurt like this."

"Wait till I get my hands on him!" Caroline practically growls, then blooms red when the surrounding customers turn to look at her. "Sorry," she smiles, "I forgot where I was."

Elena has to cover her mouth to keep from giggling at her friend's plight.

Noticing her struggle, Caroline shakes a finger at her playfully. "Don't do it," she bursts into laughter despite herself.

"Let's get out of here, we have a pirate to pay a visit to," Elena throws some change on their table for a tip, then she and Care leave the place to catch a taxi to meet Jean Lafitte.

* * *

It's been two weeks since he's seen _her_. Now with Christmas drawing close, Damon can't stop himself from buying a gift for Elena but rather than give it to her, he puts it in his desk drawer to save for a time and a place that's right. Next time they're together, he doesn't want to have any headwinds blowing against them. Yet he'd have to be as thick as a ship's anchor not to notice that she's been visibly absent both showing up at his workplace and her calls have been sporadic at best, her words clipped and short.

Leaning back in his chair, Damon crosses his hands behind his head. If he were to put himself in her shoes, he'd be angry too that she left his bed without so much as a note. Sighing deeply, he picks up his cellphone, he owes her an apology and an explanation at the very least. As he holds the device in his hand, he realizes that a call will hardly do, she probably wouldn't answer anyway. No, he needs to plead his case in person and make her understand that a romance will have to be put on the backburner for the time being. However, what if this drags out for a year, maybe two, would he wait - absolutely he would but will the answer be the same for Elena?

Pocketing the phone, he cleans off his desk, puts his cowboy hat on his head, slips on his jacket and then leaves the building, determined to talk to the woman that has completely bewitched him. Sliding behind the wheel of his classic Camaro, he revs the engine, backs out of his parking spot and pulls onto the highway. A few colorful metaphors escape his mouth at how heavy the traffic is, meaning it'll take a little longer to get to her place.

Arriving at her place, he gets out of his car and walks up the path. Steeling his shoulders, he curls his fingers into a fist then knocks on the door then steps away, waiting to see her pretty face. Hearing the distinct sound of it opening, he turns and stops short when instead of the brunette beauty, he sees a blonde glaring at him as if he ran over a puppy.

"Ranger Salvatore I presume?" she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Yes, I came to see Elena... I have to explain..."

"Well, you're a little late. Elena flew to Virginia with her aunt and uncle to spend Christmas with her brother-in-law and the twins."

"Um... will you tell her I stopped, I really need to talk to her, make her understand..."

Caroline smirks, reaches out and latches onto his arm. "How about you and I have a little chat instead?" she drawls and drags him over the threshold...

* * *

_Huge thanks to you all. You're the absolute best. I'm so happy you're enjoying the story considering how frustrating it was for me especially to write it. Thank you Eva for talking me down more than once. Believe it or not, I had started a story with Damon as a CDC disease hunter, Elena a doctor. Then came Corona... needless to say, the project's been shelved. _

_Jean Lafitte (1776-1823?) was the last of the great pirates of the Gulf of Mexico. Jean was a handsome man by all accounts, of great personal charm and became a legend in his own time, after his patriotic actions in the Battle of New Orleans. _

_Stay safe and have another wonderful day of quarantine. You're all the best - see you next time. _


	14. Jingle Bell Rock

Damon's standing near the sliding glass doors in his parent's home, his palm flat against the cold glass as he watches the darkened gray smudges of clouds threaten and surround the sky; like a predator about to encircle its prey. A startling low rumble rings loud in the cool winter air, the sky roaring with satisfaction. The water droplets fall like they simply cannot think of anything better to do. There is a laziness about them, as if they can barely be bothered to conform to the will of gravity.

When he slides the door open enough to stick his hand out, the droplets splatter on his outstretched fingers. They are large and soft. He tilts them upwards and watches the remnants of the drops run downwards like tiny rivers. The sound on the roof is comforting. He can't help but think of Elena - God, he misses the way she'd barge into his office to demand answers, the soft feel of her lips on his and the slide of his body against hers when they made love. And that's what it was, he's had enough to know the difference between sex solely for pleasure's sake and something meaningful like it was with her.

Damon's tried calling her since Caroline told him she was gone. He also tried to explain everything to the blonde tornado but he couldn't get a word in edgewise, she ripped him a new one six ways from Sunday. Having gotten nowhere with her and rather than argue, he finally threw up his hands in frustration and left Elena's home. Since then, he's wanted to call her to plead his case but she deserves a face to face so he's stuck in a holding pattern till she returns.

He knows she's with her brother in law, he can't shake the uneasy feeling he has about that. With his own brusque behavior, is it possible that Elena could turn to_ him_ \- Niklaus Mikaelson? His fingers curl into a fist at the thought... it's not outside the realm of the impossible. He's seen the way _that _man looks at her and remembers the streak of green that flashed behind his own eyes as he watched.

Although Damon made a valiant attempt to keep him in the state, Judge Forbes allowed him and his twin babies to leave for the holidays on the condition that he return to Texas by January 3rd. Truthfully he knows that Elijah Mikaelson is an ethical attorney and won't let his brother do something stupid like run away.

The thunder rolls overhead like the fury of the gods. It tumbles through the darkened clouds, spreading out into the night. Sighing, he withdraws his arm and slides the door shut. He'd love to leave it open but his mom would have his ass for getting the carpet all wet. If he was at his place, he'd leave the window open, that way he'd be able to hear the steady drumming while he turns age worn pages of a long forgotten book.

Sighing he steps away from the door and looks around. The Christmas tree is ridiculously tall for their living room. It scrapes the ceiling as his Dad wobbles on a ladder to hang the angel, Damon races over to steady it so his old man won't tumble off and break his neck. Truly the tree belongs in a forest but he suspects Ali had a hand in choosing the huge thing.

Packets of tinsel lie unopened on the floor, not just the snake kind, but the stuff that's loose strips too. His mom plugs in the lights and he can't help but smile remembering how excited he and Stefan would get to decorate it, same as Ali does now.

"What do you think?"

"It's beautiful, mom, just like always," he kisses her cheek.

Liliana scrutinizes her son then links her arm in his and drags him with her to the kitchen. The tea kettle is whistling so she pulls it off the burner, pulls a couple of mugs and hot chocolate mix out of the cupboard then mixes it up. With a twinkle in her eyes, she moves to another cupboard, lifts up a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream, adding some to each cup. After screwing the lid back on, she hands one to Damon then sits opposite of him on the kitchen table.

"Why don't you tell me what's bothering you? A girl maybe?"

"Where's your crystal ball?" he takes a swallow, "It's good," he remarks and licks off the residue from his upper lip.

"I don't have a crystal ball," she arches an eyebrow, "But I do know my son. Now talk."

"Fine, I'm working on a murder case. The victim's sister is beautiful and perfect and full of fire. I like her... a lot."

"And that's a problem?" Liliana takes a sip.

"Not in the sense that I like her but I just feel that I should close the case first, I don't want anyone to question my work based on my relationship with the victim's sister. My guys trust me and I don't want to give the appearance of impropriety. I'm a professional, I would never cross that line but I need to my actions to mimic my words. I just hope she'll be willing to wait for me."

"Explain it to her. If she cares about you the way you obviously care for her, she'll understand," she extends her arm and clutches Damon's fingers with her own.

"She's out of town for the holidays, I think she deserves more than a call, I want to talk to her in person. I have tried to reach her but my calls go straight to voice mail, or if I can leave a message, she hasn't returned any of them,_ not that I blame her_," he adds as an afterthought in a low tone.

"I'm not going to get personal, I don't care to hear about your sex life..."

"Mom!?" his mouth drops.

"Don't act so scandalized, I'm not naïve, Damon. If you really like this girl, then be persistent, don't give up. I suspect she has a reason for giving you the cold shoulder?" she meets his eyes.

"Yep," Damon finishes what's left in his mug, stands and sets it in the sink. I'm going to my room to do a little reading, I'll see you in the morning. What time are Stefan, Rebekah and Ali coming?"

"Around 10, I'll get you up early so you can help me put the presents out."

Damon nods and pushes the kitchen door open, but turns back when she says his name. "Is there something else?"

"I just wanted to say thank you, I always love having you stay over on Christmas Eve. I love you."

"I love you too, mom," he steps over and gives her a hug when she stands. He says goodnight and leaves the kitchen for the privacy of his childhood bedroom.

* * *

"They're asleep," Nik walks into the living room and plops down on a recliner. "Thanks," he smiles at his mother when she hands him a mug full of eggnog and blackberry brandy.

"It's nice that you all could spend the holiday with us," Esther looks at Elena then moves to the rest of them, Jenna, Ric and Jeremy.

"Yes, lord knows we have plenty of room in this old estate," Mikael squeezes his wife's hand then takes a swallow from his mug.

Elena's standing by the window, watching the snow whip around as the wind stirs it up, adding to a tall drift. It's beautiful as it's illuminated by the street lights. Pressing her hand against the glass, she wonders what _he's _doing tonight? Does he miss her too? Although she's still angry with him, she can't shake the nagging feeling that maybe there was more to it. Maybe the next time he tries to call, she'll answer, if nothing else than to satisfy her own curiosity? She's snapped out of her thoughts when Jenna shifts and accidentally bumps her.

"Sorry," Jenna gives her arm a squeeze.

"It's fine, aunt Jenna," she listens to the soft instrumental Christmas music that's playing, takes a breath and stands up. "I don't want to be sad today but can we just take a moment to remember who's not here?" Elena raises her glass after a moment of silence, "To Katherine."

"To Katherine," Nik repeats and raises his glass followed by everyone in attendance. "I miss her so much, I wish she was here," he sets his glass down and pinches the bridge of his nose - trying to get his emotions in check.

Feeling the same, Elena stands up, walks behind him and puts her hand on his shoulder to give it a squeeze. "She's here, Nik, she wouldn't want you or any of us to be sad all the time."

Nik reaches up and squeezes her hand, "You're right, Elena." Looking at how bare the bottom of the tree is, he winks at his mother, "It's Christmas Eve, we have some presents to put out before Rebekah, Finn, Elijah and Kol's kids show up in the morning."

"I concur," Mikael sets his glass down and pulls out a piece of paper. "Nik, you, Ric and Jeremy go out to the garage and put the bikes together for Natalie and Hope. Elena, Esther and Jenna, your job is to put the doll houses together and there's many boxes to wrap. Now look, I know this Christmas has a pall on it because one of us is missing," he pauses for a moment and drops his head. "I don't want to cast a dark spell over the holiday for the children, we want them to be happy."

"You're right, dad," Nik stands up, crooks his hand for Ric and Jeremy to follow then leads them to his father's workshop to put bicycles together. Mikael quickly hurries after them. Esther leads the women to her craft and present room, where she has a multitude of gifts waiting to be wrapped. Elena's eyes nearly pop out of her head at the sight but is more than grateful for the distraction. After grabbing a roll of pretty paper, a scissors and some tape, she plops down on the floor, grabs a present and gets to work.

* * *

"Uncle Damon, will you play Barbies with me?" Ali tugs on his sleeve. She was awake at the crack of dawn to see if Santa Claus had come, fortunately Stefan made her go back to bed for a little while but it was still an early wake up call for everyone in the house.

"You want me to play Barbies?" Damon points his index finger at himself.

"Please?" she pouts and he sighs, knowing how much power that little downturn of her lower lip has over him.

"Oh Ali," he picks her up, throws her over his shoulder and runs up the stairs to her room. Setting her down, he sits on the floor with her. She thrusts a Ken doll and some clothes in his hand, telling him to change his outfit. Sighing he does what she says and looks up to find her staring at him. "Something wrong?" he asks.

"You look sad. Didn't Santa give you what you wanted?" she starts combing her doll's hair.

"No, sweetie, Santa was good to me. I was just thinking about a girl I know."

"Is she sad?" Ali looks up, takes the Ken doll and gives him a girl Barbie to dress.

"Ali, I don't know," he quickly puts the pants and shift on the blonde haired doll.

"How come?" she slides closer to him.

"Because she's with her family for Christmas. I haven't talked to her."

"Why not, can't you call her?"

"Ali, you have a million questions that I don't have answers for so how about we put the dolls down and play one of your board games or work on a puzzle instead?"

"Okay," she smiles, puts the Barbie's in their suitcase then goes into her closet and comes out with some Legos and together the two of them start to build a pirate ship.

* * *

"Finn, thank God," Nik rushes over and pulls his brother into Noah's room in the Emergency Department.

"I got a page that you were here. What's going on?"

"Noah tripped and hit the footboard, look at his eye," Nik points to the split in his son's eyebrow.

"Let's have a look Noah," he smiles at the boy whose eyes are puffy from crying and he has dried blood on his face that the nurse is cleaning off.

"Hi Finn, they were playing and it was an accident."

"He'll need a couple of sutures, getting a Mikaelson mark early young man," Finn winks at him.

"Mikaelson mark?" Elena asks, stepping forward.

"Oh hi, Elena, I didn't even notice you. All of us have gotten stitches at some point. Rebekah's is in the eyebrow same as this, Nik had a bike wreck, his scar is on the knee, Elijah sliced a finger cutting some watermelon, Kol wrecked his motorcycle and tore up his elbow, do you need me to continue?" he laughs.

"No," she shakes her head, "Will it leave a scar?"

"It'll fade and be barely noticeable as he grows up." Finn puts some sterile gloves on and takes a syringe while the nurse holds up the vial of lidocaine.

"I think I'll step out, I don't want to watch," Elena picks up her purse, steps out of the room and goes in search of a soda machine. Finding one outside the ED in the waiting room, she digs some coins out and drops them in the machine, stooping to pick it up when it drops. Opening the can she takes a long swallow then starts to walk back to Noah's trauma room.

"Katherine?"

She doesn't move, she doesn't even breathe, she's frozen to the spot. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest...

_Lub dub._

_Lub dub. _

The hairs on her arms and neck bristle, and a chill marches down her spine. The beating gets louder and louder in a cacophonous thrumming rhythm. She slowly swings around...

In front of her is a man with the name_ Dr. Maxfield_ embroidered on his lab coat.

Elena's fingers go flaccid and the soda can crashes to the floor...

* * *

_Hi everyone. How's day ? of quarantine. I can't wait till it's over. I'm lucky, I can go to work but it's still monotonous. Thank you all so much for all your support for this fic. There's so many other great writers on this site. We're just one of many trying to extend the DE legacy. Thank you Eva. _

_Chapter title: Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms. _

_I hope you all are able to have a terrific weekend despite our circumstances. Be safe and take care, sending hugs and love. We'll see you next week._


	15. He's Back

Damon swallows the last drop of coffee that he picked up at Dunkin Donuts on the way to work and drops the empty cup in the wastebasket as he walks into the building the next morning. Seeing the pile of messages on his desk, he takes off his suit jacket and hat, sits down and starts going through them. One in particular grabs his attention, it's from Gia Russo, the forensic computer examiner he met in West Virginia.

Blowing out a slow breath and with the hairs bristling at his neckline, he picks up the phone to return her call.

_"Gia Russo, can I help you?" _

"Miss Russo, this is Ranger Damon Salvatore."

_"I'm happy to hear from you. I have some information, you can either fly back here to see me or I can send it via registered mail, so you have to sign for it."_

"That sounds pretty serious if you want me to fly out there?" Damon offers, raking his hand through his hair.

_"You have a murder to solve am I right?"_

"I'll get there as soon as I can. Please tell me it's worth it?"

_"I think you'll find it quite interesting..."_

"I'll give you a call when I arrive. Thank you for your help."

_"That's my job, Ranger Salvatore. Have a safe flight." she ends the call. _

Damon blows out a breath and picks up his office phone, "Enzo, get in here."

* * *

_"Katherine?"_

Elena's heart is pounding like a tremendous machine as she grabs a box of tissues and squats down to wipe up the spilled soda. She tries to maintain her composure but she can hear the subtle change in her voice as she addresses him. "You must be mistaken, I'm not from around here, I'm here with a family member," she inadvertently points to the doors that lead to inside the emergency department.

"You just look really familiar to me," Dr. Maxfield scrutinizes her every move.

"They say everyone has a doppelganger somewhere," she shrugs, trying to make light of it to mask her nervousness.

"I suppose, I'm Dr. Maxfield, and you are?"

"Elena Sommers," she lies, using her Aunt Jenna's maiden name.

"It's nice meeting you, Elena Sommers," he extends his hand to shake hers.

Elena stares at it for a second before taking his, she's amazed that she keeps it steady.

"You're not from around here? Will you be in the area for awhile, maybe we could have coffee?"

She's about to answer when his pager interrupts them.

"I'm due in surgery, do you have a number?"

"No, I'm leaving to go home in a couple of days," she looks at him with unflinching eyes.

"Too bad," he brushes up against her, holding her stare for a few seconds then winks and walks away.

Elena watches till he's turns into the corridor and disappears. Taking a breath, she quickly hurries through the ED doors and back to Noah's room.

* * *

When she sees Finn put in the last suture on Noah's orbital bone, a pallor washes over Elena's face.

"You okay?" Nik asks, urging her to sit down before she faints.

"I'm sorry, I...," she shakes her head as soon as the spots disappear from behind her eyes.

"What is it, Elena, something has you spooked?"

"I just ran into a Dr._ Wes_ Maxfield. He called me Katherine."

"What? You mean? Where is he? I'm gonna take his head off," Nik's face reddens immediately with anger and barges past Elena.

"Chill, you have no proof of anything Nik and you don't need to put a target on your back," Finn steps in front of the door to stop him.

"Finn, get out of my way."

"No way, if I have to call security to escort you out I will. Elijah will have my ass if I let you do anything stupid."

"Finn's right, Nik. Let's go back to your parent's place," Elena picks a tired Noah up and cuddles him to her chest.

"Fine, I'll play it your way this time... But if I run into him on the street, it's free reign."

"Nik, please don't talk like that, your children need their father, who's going to raise them if you're sitting in prison?" Elena puts her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him, however when his eyes snap to hers, she quickly removes it, sensing he may take it the wrong way again.

Nik takes a deep breath, relaxes his fists and drops his chin to his chest for several moments. Finally he looks at Elena and nods. "Let's go. Thanks for taking care of him, brother."

"Of course, come on, I'll walk you out," he whispers something to the unit clerk then follows them into the parking lot. Once Noah's safely in his car seat, Elena and Nik slip inside. "Drive carefully," Finn waves, and goes back inside the building as soon as the car exits into traffic.

* * *

Once Noah is in his pajamas and sound asleep, Elena says goodnight to Esther and Mikael then retreats to her room. Jenna and Ric flew back to Houston yesterday but she decided to stay in Virginia a little while longer. She's due to return to Galveston in a couple of days. As soon as she showers and slips into her flannel pajamas, she crawls under the covers, grabs her tablet and looks for something to watch. Since she's always loved holiday movies, she scrolls through Amazon Prime to find one, finally settling on an old Hallmark 'feel-good' one. Hearing a soft rap on her door, she raises her eyes.

Sitting upright, she pauses the movie and says, "Come in."

"Elena, can I speak to you for a few minutes?" Nik pokes his head in.

"Sure," she watches as he closes the door and moves to sit at the foot of the bed.

"I just wanted to say thanks for being here with us. My mom is great with the kids but she's not their mom...You look like _her_..."

"Nik, please don't go any further with this," Elena's heart is beating furiously behind her breast bone.

"Elena?" he shakes his head back and forth, "I don't want to put anymore of a chill between us and I know you're not interested in me romantically, frankly I think it's your uncanny resemblance to her that messed with my head. If you're agreeable, I would like to forget that my unfortunate misstep ever happened. I would like for us to be friends... You're their aunt, you can teach them things about her that I can't. I want them to know who she was and how much she loved them."

"Of course, Nik. I want them to know their mother too."

"Thank you Elena," he sighs in relief.

"Did I mention that I'm going back to Galveston Friday? How long will you be staying?"

"I'm under court order to return by January 3rd. I need to get back to work and I have to find a reputable daycare or a live in nanny for them. If you know anyone, let me know. I haven't given up the idea of moving back here but until I'm no longer suspect, I doubt that I'll be allowed to leave."

"I hope you'll reconsider but you have to do what's right for your family and to answer your question, I actually do know someone. An acquaintance of mine, Camille O'Connell, is a child care worker. Perhaps she might be interested? I know she's not happy in her current job."

"I'd love to meet her when we get back."

"Sure, I'll give her a call when I get home," she covers her mouth when a yawn starts to escape.

"I'm tired too, I'll let you get some sleep. Goodnight, Elena."

"Goodnight, Nik," she smiles when their eyes meet as he pulls the door closed. Suddenly sleepy, she sets her tablet on the bedside stand, switches off the light, buries her face in the pillow, and quickly falls asleep.

* * *

Sitting in Gia's office at FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia, Damon waits for the woman to make her appearance. He's on edge, his foot tapping against the floor in a swift cadence as he looks up at the clock yet again. Somehow he's able to swallow back a colorful metaphor just as she's stepping into the room.

"Ranger Salvatore," she shakes his hand when Damon extends his.

"This is Detective St. John, one of my close associates," he introduces them as she offers her hand to Enzo.

"Please sit, I apologize for my tardiness, I was working and lost track of time," she sits at her desk.

"Please don't, we're all guilty of that," Enzo chuckles, nodding at the woman.

"You said you had something interesting to share with us?" Damon leans forward, his knee still bouncing.

"I do, as you are probably aware, computer forensics examiners typically work as part of a law enforcement agency or police organization in analysis and interpretation of computer data for the investigation of a crime. The work I do here involves all of that and can include anything from analysis of metadata on an e-mail to imaging and analysis of a computer hard drive. These might also include re-creation of deleted computer files and use of various software programs to evaluate evidence and properly document the process for use in court."

"I'm aware, this isn't the first time I've needed help with computer forensics. Please tell me you have something?" Damon is on the edge of his chair.

"How does Markos Barstow chatting with a man about killing a woman in Galveston, Texas for an ex boyfriend sound?"

"Tell me more?" Damon's heart is pounding so fast he has to press his palm to his chest.

"A man named Galen Vaughn told him he knew a man who wanted his ex girlfriend killed. He said the guy - a man Markos is familiar with - those were his words, was offering $5000 dollars to do the job," she pauses to take a swallow of water. "I take it that five grand was a lot to someone like Markos?"

"Yes, absolutely but who is Galen Vaughn?" Enzo asks, his eyes drifting to Damon.

"Well, from what I could find out, he's currently a golf caddy at a Richmond Country Club. But he does have a criminal record, some of which was expunged after he turned 21 but he did spend 18 months in the West Virginia State Pen - for assault - at the same time Markos Barstow was an inmate," she looks at Enzo pointedly.

"This is excellent news but now we have one more player in this whole conspiracy. Did you get a name on the man making the offer?"

"No, but there was a mention that the man would meet him at a gas station in Huntington, West Virginia with specifics."

Damon turns to Enzo, "Sloane Barstow identified a man meeting with her brother at a gas station. I think we may be onto something," he fists his hand and pounds the arm of the chair he's sitting in.

"Are you completely finished with the computer?" Enzo asks, his eyes snapping from Damon to Gia.

"Not yet but I believe it was important for you to know what I have found so far."

"Thank you, Gia," Damon stands up and shakes her hand vigorously as does Enzo. "I think we need to have a visit with Mr. Vaughn," he adds on their way out.

"I'll be in touch," Gia walks them to the door. Damon gives her a nod and then walks away with Enzo at his side.

* * *

"Look at it outside," Damon starts, "There's not going to be any golfing when the ground is covered with snow, even if it's just a light smattering. We don't even know which club he works at, I suppose we should see about getting a warrant to check his social security number, we ought to be able to find out who's signing his paychecks."

"Let's stop at the Richmond PD headquarters first, they might be able to help us without having to go through all that red tape. Google says it's on Grace Street," Enzo programs the address into their rental car's GPS system.

"Yes, of course, I'm just thinking ahead," Damon exits south onto Interstate 95 that'll lead them straight to Richmond. He glances briefly at the countryside as they maintain pace with the traffic. The trees stand starkly in the winter morning like x-rays of their summer selves, only in reverse; black on white. They look so forlorn in the chilly temperatures, with the daylight beginning to fade. "After we leave the police station, I suppose we should get a hotel room. We can pick up a flight home from the Richmond airport too."

"I agree, I messaged Commissioner Jordan, told him, I might be gone for a couple of days. What about your boss?"

"He already knows, talked to him while you were in the john at the airport."

"Okay," Enzo shrugs and turns up the heat in the vehicle.

With the speed of traffic, they arrive in Richmond about an hour later, Damon follows the GPS directions and pulls into the parking lot as soon as they reach their destination.

* * *

"I'll give you a call next week when I get back to Houston," Nik gives her a hug before she walks into restricted part of the airport.

"Have a safe flight, Elena," Elijah adds, his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Bye, give the kids a kiss for me," she has to go through security and get to her gate where she'll wait for her flight to Galveston. She's grateful to have an understanding boss who allowed her a few extra days off. She was happy to spend a little more time with her niece and nephew. And truthfully, Nik has a wonderful family, they're warm and welcoming, especially his parents. Rebekah and Kol are so much fun and she's certain they could easily be best friends if they lived closer to each other.

After she's done being patted down and having her things gone through, she makes her way to her gate and takes a seat in the departure lounge to pass the time till the boarding call is announced. Pulling open her phone, she smiles at the heart emojis that Caroline sent along with a promise to be at the airport to pick her up. Pulling out her iPad, she catches up for some work related reading when she hears a voice that makes the hairs on the back of her neck bristle.

When she looks up, she finds herself staring into the malevolent shade of Dr. Maxfield's blue eyes...

* * *

_Thanks everyone for all of your amazing reviews. You're truly make Eva and I so excited. Of course Covid-19 and the ensuing madness isn't doing much for my muse. I haven't written anything in weeks. _

_Chapter title: 'He's Back' by Alice Cooper._

_I posted the final chapter 'My Heart Will Go On' yesterday. _

_Hope you all have a safe and wonderful day and a lovely weekend. Take care of yourselves and we'll see you next time. _


	16. Galen Vaughn

"Whew, this place is upscale," Damon comments when The Country Club of Virginia is within sight. "I shudder to think what a membership costs?" he adds as he slows down to turn onto the road that leads to the mansion like clubhouse. Once he parks the car, he slips his Ranger hat on, feels his shoulder holster and the two men trot up the stairs and go inside. Immediately they're met with a hostess who's wearing a long sleeved white blouse, black vest, pants and a plaid scarf around her neck. Honing in on her name badge," Damon flashes his own.

"You're with the Texas Rangers, the law not the baseball team?"

"I am... Rose," he continues, "We're here to speak to someone in the HR department, the man or woman who's in charge of hiring."

"That would be Clara Summerlin. If you'll follow me," she extends her arm towards a long hallway and starts down it.

"This is a pretty imposing place," Enzo remarks, his eyes darting all over at their opulent surroundings.

"I suppose it can be," she smiles genuinely. "This is a private club with three eighteen-hole golf courses."

"Three?" Damon looks at her.

"Yes, three. We also host weddings and other get togethers, there's an Olympic sized pool on the property among many other amenities," she stops when they reach a door that says 'Human Resources' in a scroll font. Opening the door, she walks inside followed by Damon and Enzo.

"Hello, Sabine, these men are here to see Clara," Rose nods at the men then takes her leave.

"Have a seat, I'll see if Miss Summerlin is free to see you now," Sabine gets up and pokes her head into an office door and seconds later, she opens it wide for the two lawmen to go inside.

The woman at the desk stands up to greet them. "I understand that you'd like to speak with me?"

"We came a long way to speak with one of your employees..." Damon starts, and after showing her his Texas Ranger's badge, takes a seat.

"I can't help you unless you give me a name," Clara sits down and tents her fingers, her eyes drifting between the two men.

Enzo takes a breath, "Galen Vaughn."

"Alright, let me see if he's working today," she picks up the phone, turns her back to them in her chair and after a few terse words she turns back. "Mr. Vaughn will be waiting for you out front. Before you leave, I don't want any kind of commotion on the grounds, nothing to cause bad publicity for the club. Are we clear?"

"It's not our intention to cause any trouble here, we're only here to ask him a couple of questions," Damon shakes her hand as does Enzo then she opens the door signaling for them to leave.

"Just know this, if anything untoward occurs, your superior will be hearing from me," Clara says firmly as she keeps Damon's stare till he nods and retreats, pulling the door closed behind them.

* * *

A chill runs through Elena at the sight of that man's eyes. She doesn't know if he is responsible for her Katherine's death or not or if he's just a creep that took advantage of her sister, still she isn't about to let him see that his presence has an effect on her.

Taking a breath, she turns away and drops her eyes back to her tablet for several minutes. When she surreptitiously looks over her shoulder, he's nowhere to be seen. She breathes a sigh of relief when moments later, her flight is announced. Gathering her things, she throws them into her tote and gets in line to board the airplane.

* * *

Walking outside, Damon and Enzo trot down the stairs just as a golf cart is pulling up. A man in a jacket with the club's logo on his chest and a pair of black pants steps out.

"Are you the men looking to speak to me?" he asks, scrutinizing the two lawmen carefully.

"Is there some place we can talk in private?" Damon asks, flashing his badge.

"Texas Ranger? What do you want with me?" he looks at them curiously but Damon notices his body language and the slightest change in his voice tone.

"We're here to ask you about Markos Barstow," Enzo informs him, also eyeing his mannerisms.

"Markos?" he asks, his voice raising with each syllable. That's when he notices eyes are on them. "Get in the cart, we'll talk while I drive," he crawls back in with Damon sitting beside him and Enzo behind him.

"What's your connection to Markos?" Damon asks, notebook and pencil in hand.

"We ran in the same circles when we were young and stupid," he explains. "We got into some trouble, spent a few months in jail. He didn't learn his lesson, I did."

"I understand you caddy for a Dr. Wesley Maxfield?" Enzo shoots from behind them.

"Yes, I'm his caddy," he stops the cart near the tree line. "What is it you two are digging for?"

"I think you probably already know the answer to that, Mr. Vaughn," Damon arches an eyebrow. "Now why don't you tell us about Dr. Maxfield, Mr. Barstow and the role you played in their meeting?"

"Hey, man, I don't know what you're getting at but you got nothing on me."

"Are you sure about that?" Damon posits, pulling out a cigarette to light.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Galen answers and wipes the sweat from his brow. "Weather's good right now, place was closed for a couple of days after Thanksgiving due to snow," he tries to change the subject.

"Mr. Vaughn," Enzo starts from the backseat. "We have Mr. Barstow's computer, we know you two were in contact and we also know that Dr. Maxfield was mentioned in those conversations, so you might want to rethink your denials."

"I told him to delete those messages..." he curses when he realizes what he admitted to.

"Oh he deleted them alright, but forensic computer examiners exist for a reason, now why don't you tell us what you know?" Damon asks again.

"I'm not going to say anymore without an attorney."

"That's your right," Damon says to him then looks back at Enzo. "Call the local police, tell them to send someone to meet us at the clubhouse."

"Already done," Enzo holds up his cellphone. "Now if you'll take us back and Mr. Vaughn, it would behoove you to cooperate."

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbles, puts the golf cart in gear and speeds back to the place he picked them up.

* * *

"Thanks for picking me up, Caroline," Elena gives her best friend a hug before they walk to the baggage carousel to pick up her suitcase.

"How was your trip?"

"It was nice, Nik and I talked so we're good. He and the kids are returning after the New Year. I told him I would talk to Camille about maybe taking a nanny job."

"Camille would be perfect. She hates her job - not the kids, the management."

"I thought of her immediately," Elena pulls her bag off from the carousel when it circles around to her. "I could use a drink, should we stop somewhere on the way home?"

"Sure, you can stop at Hawk's bottle shop, I'll run in and get us a good bottle of Stella Rosa Moscato or do you want something stronger?" Caroline gives her hand a squeeze.

"Wine is good, I just have something to tell you and need your advice," Elena smiles at her and the two women walk out of the airport and into the parking lot to find Caroline's car.

* * *

Sitting in one of the Richmond Police Station's interrogation rooms are Damon, Enzo, Detective Rayna Cruz, Galen Vaughn and his attorney Wilson Forbes. Since they're in Virginia, Damon brought Rayna up to speed on their case and let her take the lead in questioning Mr. Vaughn.

"So why don't you tell us what you know about Markos Barstow?" Rayna asks, her unblinking eyes on him.

"We grew up together, when he dropped out of school, so did I. We got into drugs and booze, both of us did time and then I moved out of West Virginia to try to put my life back together. I got a job at a little 9 hole course, learned to be good, then I got my current job. I hadn't seen Markos for a couple of years before..."

"Before?" Damon interrupts, sliding his chair closer.

"Look, before I say anymore, what kind of deal can you give me? I don't want to go back to prison."

"You lead us to where we need to go and we'll go to bat for you with the DA. I want the big dog," Damon tells him matter of factly.

After a few whispered words with his attorney, Galen takes a breath. "When I first moved here, I was hungry, desperate for something to eat so I stole some cash at a convenience store. The owner had a gun, shot me in abdomen," he opens his shirt to show his scar. "To this day, I don't know how_ he_ found me but he patched me up, didn't call the police, said he might need a favor someday. Last summer he played that card, told me he wanted a girl dead. I refused but told him I knew someone who might do the job. That's when I reached out to Markos, that's probably the emails you found on his computer," he wipes the sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm.

Damon shares a look with Detective Cruz then he focuses his steely gaze on Galen Vaughn. "Who's he?"

After seeing a subtle nod from his attorney, Galen rakes his hand through his hair then meets Damon's stare, "Dr. Wesley Maxfield."

* * *

"It's good," Elena takes a swallow from her wine glass.

"It really is, my mom introduced me to it," Caroline laughs and refills her glass. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I came face to face with Katherine's boyfriend - the guy she was with before Nik. He called me Katherine."

"Oh my God, that must have raised the hairs on your neck."

"It really did. I lied about who I was... I think I should tell Damon."

"I think you should too, this is more important right now than personal stuff but you should know that he showed up here looking for you. Said he had some explaining to do."

"And you're only telling me this now?" Elena finishes off what's in her glass.

"Elena, I didn't think you needed to be bothered while you were away for Christmas. It's not like you would have dropped everything to fly back here."

"You're right, I'm sorry but my curiosity is certainly piqued now," she reaches for the bottle to pour herself a little more.

"Here's to luck," Caroline winks and raises her glass.

Elena clinks them together, "To luck," she takes a long swallow and knows she'll need to drink a lot more if she's going to sleep on this night.

* * *

Damon's bouncing his foot on the carpet as he waits to board his plane. Richmond International Airport in his experience is at best a mad house, today is no different. Plasma screens showing the arrival and departure times are scattered through the concourse. People are lined up at the check in desks with suitcases and baggage. Their flight is delayed due to a storm in somewhere west of them.

His is only one in a sea of irritated and annoyed faces, Enzo's among them. He's anxious to get home to check in his superiors and Elena even though he hated to leave Virginia with Dr. Maxfield still walking free but Detective Cruz assured him that they'll keep an eye on him and as soon as they have enough evidence which Galen promised to help with, he'll be arrested.

Fidgety, he stands up to stretch his tight muscles. Like everyone else, he wants to get in the air, but he knows there's nothing to be done but to sit and wait. Still he's nervous, he has no idea how Elena will react when he tries to explain why he stupidly left her home that morning. Hindsight is 20/20, he knows he fucked up badly, he only hopes she'll give him a chance to explain.

Finally their boarding call is announced, he stands up, stretches his limbs, picks up his carry on bag and gets in line behind Enzo. Entering the airplane, the two lawmen walk down the aisle to take their seats. After stowing both his and Enzo's backpack in the baggage compartment, he sits down. As soon as they're allowed to use their electronics, Damon sticks his earbuds in, touches the Pandora app on his phone and closes his eyes for the flight to Scholes International Airport in Galveston.

As soon as they arrive at their destination, they hop a taxi and head to police headquarters. Upon arrival, they go directly to Chief Jordan's office. The man's not Damon's direct superior, he and the other Rangers are under the auspices of the public safety commission and its director, Tripp Cooke. He is keeping him abreast of developments along with his own officers while they're working together to bring Katherine Mikaelson's case to trial.

After filling in Chief Jordan, Damon goes to his office and makes himself a pot of coffee. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he scrolls through his contacts till he finds _her _name. There is an uneasy feeling in his gut as his fingertip hovers above it. His heart starts to pound when he sucks in a breath, presses her avatar and waits to hear her beautiful voice.

* * *

_Massive thanks to all of you. Someone once told me, you could go anywhere in the world and have a cup of coffee with another DE lover. It's really true. You're all amazing. _

_We have another story ongoing, 'Home Sweet Home' - it's a DE version of Sweet Home Alabama. Our goal was to write a completely new story while retaining the same basic plot. We'd love for you to give it a look._

_We'll see you next week for updates on both stories. Have a wonderful day and days ahead. _


	17. You're My Temptation

Damon's staring outside from his booth in the little coffee shop while waiting for her to show up. The rain bears down mercilessly upon the heart of the city, pounding on the rooftops and turning the streets slick and hazardous.

The establishment has the best coffee in town - in his opinion. The warm light from its windows and the trailing smoke from its chimney serves as a beacon of sorts to people caught out in the storm. Dark gray smudges of clouds threateningly surround the sky; like a predator encircling its prey. A startling low rumble rings loud in the cool air, the sky roaring with satisfaction. A dense earthly sweet smell rises from the ground, enveloping everything within its soft embrace.

Damon likes rainy days, he always has, even as a little boy. He and Stefan would put on their rain boots and coats then run outside and jump in every puddle. When they were wet, cold and tired, they'd go inside where his mom would have either hot chocolate or hot caramel apple cider waiting to warm them up.

"Excuse me," a man apologizes when he brushes against him on his way out. He nods and as he watches him leave, he sees _her _enter the establishment.

"Elena," Damon stands up.

"Damon," she takes a seat opposite him in the booth.

"I'm glad you could come," he waves the barista over. "I owe you an explanation and I want to apologize," he begins after the girl takes their orders.

"You don't owe me anything," she replies without a hint of emotion in her voice.

"Elena, please allow me to. What I did, it was wrong."

"You got that right," she smiles when the girl returns with their coffee orders.

"You don't know how often I've wished I could have a do over of that morning. I like you, Elena, a lot. I think we could be great together... However, I think it has to wait until I put Katherine's killers behind bars. I can't give the defense or my men any reason to question my work. I hope you understand..."

"I understand fully but what if it takes years? Do you expect me to wait for you?"

"No," he shakes his head, his heart's pounding at her indifference but he knows he earned it. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I need it."

"And I need some time, maybe a lot of time..."

"Of course, take all the time you need."

"Look, Damon, there's no sense beating around the bush. I only agreed to meet you here to tell you that I met Dr. Maxfield when I was in Virginia for Christmas."

"What?" his eyes widen noticeably.

"He called me Katherine and then he tried to put the moves on me when I told him he was mistaken. I told him my name was Elena Sommers, that's my aunt's maiden name. I didn't want him to know that she was my sister."

"He asked for your name?" Damon takes a long pull from his coffee cup.

"He did and then when I was coming home, I saw him at the airport with another girl. He gave me the creeps."

"Elena, you need to stay away from him. I can't be specific but we're getting close," Damon pinches the pads of his thumb and index finger together.

"Keep me informed, I need to go," she stands up and tries to hand him money for her coffee.

"No," he refuses to take it. "Thanks for coming, I'll walk you to your car."

"There's no need, stay and finish your drink," she gives him a terse smile then walks out of the coffee shop.

"You really blew that," Damon mutters to himself, crumples his coffee cup, and walks out of the building just as the rain begins to come down harder.

* * *

"It was good having you home, Nik," Finn tilts his beer bottle and takes a swallow. "Your plane leaves tomorrow?"

"Yes, at 3 o'clock. If everything goes off without a hitch, our plane will land in Galveston around 6, of course, I'll gain an hour."

"Mom said that she's going with you to help find a nanny?"

"Yes, she wants to spend more time with the babies," he takes a swallow from his own bottle.

Clicking through the TV channels, Finn stops on the History Channel to watch a program on Isaac's Storm. He read a book on it a couple of years ago. It follows the events immediately preceding, during, and after the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

_"The storm left between 6,000 and 12,000 fatalities in the United States; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000. Most of these deaths occurred in and near Galveston, Texas, after storm surge inundated the coastline with 8 to 12 feet of water. In addition to the number killed, the storm destroyed about 7,000 buildings, which included 3,636 destroyed homes; every dwelling in the city suffered some degree of damage. The hurricane left approximately 10,000 people in the city homeless, out of a total population of nearly 38,000. The disaster ended the Golden Era of Galveston, as the hurricane alarmed potential investors, who turned to Houston instead," the television narrator explains. _

"Oh my God," he suddenly looks at Nik dumbfounded.

"What is it?"

"Hurricane Harvey, we were watching coverage of it in the doctor's lounge, I told him that my brother just moved to Galveston."

"Who did you tell?" Nik grabs his arm.

"Wes Maxfield."

* * *

Having just gotten off the phone with Dr. Finn Mikaelson, Damon can feel the pieces beginning to come together. He wastes no time in calling Detective Cruz in Virginia.

"Rayna, we just confirmed how Dr. Maxfield could have given our vic's location to her killer. Have you gotten anymore from Galen Vaughn?"

_"Mr. Vaughn is cooperating fully. He gave us his computer, it's in the forensics lab now. His lawyer's asking for immunity in exchange for helping us put the good doctor behind bars." _

"It's not my jurisdiction, your DA will have to decide but if you want my two cents, he did help arrange a murder - however, I want Maxfield."

_"From talking to the DA, he's willing to consider a light sentence, five to ten years for his role but it's contingent on his continued cooperation." _

"So what's the status on Maxfield?" Damon leans back in his chair.

_"According to office staff, he and his wife are in the Caribbean on a holiday. He has some surgeries scheduled for the middle of next week so he should be returning within a few days."_

"Thank you for your help Detective Cruz, I'll be in touch."

_"I may need help from the Texas Rangers one these days too,"_ she laughs and ends the call.

Damon pockets his phone then stretches his legs out and lays his head back on the soft leather of his chair. He's been working day and night lately and just needs a moment to close his eyes.

A daydream blossoms like a spring flower, unfurling a delicate petal at a time. He absently stares at the sky, preserving only a sliver of attention on the pen twirls between his fingers. Although he knows she's at his side, it's hard to tell where his mind is at - sailing the seas alongside Elena and his unflinching, undaunted crew? Or perhaps he's simply taken by the endless sea of blue sky, flawed only by the afternoon sun and the image of_ her_ that refuses to leave.

"Do you have a moment?" Enzo pokes his head in and Damon quickly snaps to attention

"Yep," Damon gestures for him to come in as the last vestiges of his daydream vanish like dark clouds on a windy day.

* * *

Frustrated with the lack of progress in Katherine's case, Elena barges into Damon's office, with the secretary on her heels. "I'm sorry, Ranger Salvatore, I told her you were busy but she marched right past me," Celeste glares at the brunette.

"I want to know what you're doing about Katherine's killer! He's running around free while she's laying in the cold ground with a makeshift memorial marking her grave."

"It's okay, Celeste," Damon nods, wordlessly telling her to vacate the room and gestures for Elena to sit down.

"No, I'm not going to sit down. I want some answers."

"Elena, as much as I'd love to be able to fill you in, I cannot risk damaging our case by sharing confidential information. You're just going to have to trust me."

"I should trust you?" Elena interrupts, meeting Damon's stare with a lethal one of her own.

"I can assure you that there are many people working with me to bring this case to a close."

"That's all well and good but it doesn't tell me anything," she blurts out sardonically. "I demand you do something."

"Elena, I know you're frustrated and angry, I understand that. Right now, we're doing everything the law allows," Damon cautions.

"Yeah, that's what you keep saying but know this, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure my sister rests in peace," she looks at him icily.

"Please stay out of this," Damon moves to stand in front of her.

"I can't," she stands her ground, eyes unblinking, "Unless you give me a valid reason."

"Elena, come on, you know I have to maintain confidentiality. What would you do if I told you something and it gets leaked to the defense attorney should we reach the trial stage? Believe it or not, there are leakers in the police department too," Damon's voice trails off when they're interrupted by a phone call.

"Rayna, what can you tell me?" Blue eyes meet brown as he hears what Detective Cruz has to say. "Son of a bitch!," he curses and ends the call.

"What was that?" Elena asks, wondering what caused Damon's reaction.

"That was Detective Cruz in Richmond, Dr. Maxfield disappeared."

* * *

"So he could be anywhere?" Elena snaps, her eyes full of fire.

"I know you're angry, I am too but please have a little faith in us. I'm sure the Virginia police are already scrambling. We **_will _**find him and bring this case to a close," he appeals to her, hoping she'll listen. "You need to..."

"You don't get to tell me what to do," she seethes through clenched teeth. Her mind conjures up an image of that man sporting a mocking sneer on his handsome face. The evil that lurks behind his blue eyes seems almost incomprehensible to her. _How does someone as accomplished as him have such a capacity for depravity? _Without uttering another word, she walks out, slamming the door closed behind her.

Her heels click on the linoleum floor till she's out of the public safety building. Running to her car, she quickly backs out of her parking spot and careens onto the road. A quick glance in the rearview mirror reveals Damon waving his arms. Ignoring his gesture, she drives straight home.

As soon as she's inside her house, she tosses her handbag aside and goes to her room where she pulls a slip of paper out of her sock drawer. Staring at it, she backs up and sits down on the edge of her bed.

_"You're not from around here? Will you be in the area for awhile, maybe we could have coffee?" _

_She's about to deny him when his pager interrupts. _

_"I'm due in surgery, do you have a number I can reach you at?"_

_"No, I'm leaving to go home in a couple of days," she looks at him with unflinching eyes. _

_"Too bad," he brushes up against her, holding her stare for a few seconds then winks and walks away. _

_Elena watches till he turns into the corridor and disappears. Taking a breath, she quickly hurries through the ED doors and back to Noah's room. When they arrive home that night, Elena sticks her left hand in her jacket pocket, only then finding the small piece of paper. _

Running the pad of her index finger over the embossed lettering, she can't help but wonder how many other women he's lured into his trap that he had business cards made with only his name and phone number on them. All the reasons not to do this come flooding in, as if her body chemistry just sent them a blanket invitation. Her palms are sweaty. Every muscle craves relaxation as blood is sloshing chaotically through miles of her veins. Her pulse is pounding erratically in her ears...

Ba-boom.

Ba-boom.

Ba-boom.

She can taste saliva thickening in her throat and feel beads of sweat begin to trickle down her brow. She senses her panic about to burn out of control when suddenly an image of Katherine pops into her head. Somehow she finds the wherewithal to swallow it back. After sucking in a fortifying breath, she pulls her phone out of her pocket and clicks on the digits.

Then she waits...

* * *

_Thank you all, you're the best._

_Chapter title: 'You're My Temptation' by Alice Cooper._

_Stay safe and have a wonderful day and days ahead. We'll see you next time with updates on both stories._


	18. Trouble

"Enzo, get in here," Damon's face is taut with frustration as he slams the phone down.

"What is it?" Enzo walks in, mere moments later.

"Dr. Maxfield was gone when the Richmond PD arrived to arrest him. They've checked plane and bus records so wherever he went, he drove, at least when he left," Damon pounds his fist on his desk.

"Did they put an APB out on him?"

"Yes, all the local precincts are on alert but he could be anywhere Enzo. And no, he didn't leave from the Richmond airport but that doesn't mean he didn't leave from somewhere else.

"He must've gotten a tip?"

"That'd be my guess... Dammit! Where the hell could he be headed? Elena Gilbert told me she met him at his hospital, he had a few words with her."

"Did she tell him anything?"

"No, I don't believe so but he found Katherine Mikaelson so what's to stop him from finding her sister? What if he's on his way here?"

"It's possible, should we put her under surveillance?"

"Not until I talk to her about it. I'm already in the doghouse with her, I don't want to dig the hole deeper. We have no way of knowing if he's headed this way."

"What about Vincent, maybe the FBI could put his name and face on the wire? Get his picture in every post office from here to Virginia?"

Damon nods, "Let's go," he grabs his jacket, plops his hat on his head and leaves his office in a brisk pace with Enzo scurrying to catch up.

* * *

_"This is Wes and who might you be?" _

"It's Katherine, your goon fucked up and killed my sister," Elena slips easily into the Katherine persona. Her sister was older but people often mistook them for twins, they could easily fool people when they wanted to.

_"Katherine? How is that even possible?" _

Elena can hear the shock in his tone. "My sister was babysitting that day... I think we should meet?"

_"Where are you?" _

"Galveston, Texas. Look, I played mother long enough... "

_"And you husband?" _

She can hear the skepticism in his voice. "Fine, I'll admit it, you were right? I don't want to talk about him... I thought maybe we could run away?"

_"It is you! I warned that you'd never be happy with him." _

Elena takes a breath, "How soon can you get here?"

_"I'm on my way," he chuckles._

"I'll make some excuse and meet you at the pier Thursday evening. I'll be at the Galaxy Wheel," she clicks off before he can respond, the phone falls to the floor when her grip slackens.

* * *

_Eyes the palest of watery blue watch the road ahead as he speeds towards the Texas border. His head bobs erratically as if it's too heavy for his long neck with protruding Adam's apple. Unnaturally long thin fingers, each like the tendril of a parasitic plant, grip the steering wheel as he presses harder on the gas pedal to speed around an old man driving much too slowly in front of him._

_As the sun creeps over the horizon he feels more optimistic than ever before. The enemy has taken some significant hits, and now she's showing a willingness to negotiate. Will he be able to talk her into leaving with him? His hands clam up at the very thought._

_With his mind consumed by her, he doesn't realize it till his rental Jeep swerves out of control. Two cars in the next lane try to avoid him and both of them hit another car sending a ball of flame and a fist of black smoke skyward. He can't stop, he won't help, he has to keep going no matter what. He has a meeting tomorrow evening that he will not miss.  
_

* * *

"Your hair, Elena, wow, you really resemble Katherine when you wear it like that," Nik mentions as he lets her into the house. As much as her nerves alight when she puts one foot over the threshold into the house Katherine died, she promised she'd help him go through some of her things so the owner can find some new tenants.

"Yeah, it was a spur of the moment thing," she walks into Katherine's closet. She also has an ulterior motive for wanting to return to this house, she needs to find something of hers to wear when she meets up with Wes tomorrow evening. Taking several hangers out, she lays the clothes on the bed then starts to fold and put them in a box. She finds a lace camisole and a leather bolero length jacket that she stuffs in the bag she brought. Once all the clothes from the closets are boxed, she starts going through her shoes and nods to herself when she finds a pair of boots that will go with her skinny jeans then quickly finishes packing the footwear. Lastly, she takes a peek in her jewelry box, she's certain Nik will take the whole thing but she finds a long layered necklace and a pair of matching earrings. She'll give it back to him after...

"I'm done with her things in the bedroom," Elena sets one of the boxes with the ones Nik is working on. "I hope you don't mind, but I kept a cute top and jacket..."

"That's fine, Elena. I think you should keep what you like and the rest we'll donate to a women's shelter or the Good Will."

"She had a lot of clothes, so you could probably split her things up and donate to both places," her eyes land on his briefcase since he came to the house as soon as he got off for the day. "How's Camille working out?" she changes the subject.

"The babies seem to like her a lot, my mother likes her too."

"Camille is a good person, I hope everything works out for all of you. I am available to babysit sometimes too, I just need a head's up..." Elena stops when she hears a scratching like sound.

"What is it?" He notices her going still.

"Nothing, I thought I heard something."

"I'm going to use the bathroom," Nik excuses himself and as soon as she hears the door close, she quickly opens his briefcase, hoping he'll have what she's looking for. And then she sees it... Hearing his footsteps, she quickly pockets the vial then puts the contents back in a neat order and snaps it shut mere moments before he reappears.

"I promised the landlord I'd get the house key back to him by the end of next week now that the police are finally done here."

"It took them long enough," Elena picks up her bag with Katherine's clothes and hands Nik his coat.

"Let's go, I don't think there's anymore we can do here tonight," he slips his jacket on, picks up his briefcase and once Elena is outside too, he locks up the place. "Let's go home should we?"

She nods and slides into the passenger seat when he opens the car door for her. Slamming it shut, he hops behind the wheel and drives away.

* * *

Damon's head snaps up when Enzo barges into his office the next afternoon. "I got a call from Detective Cruz. They got a hit on Wesley Maxfield in New Orleans. He got pulled over for a speeding ticket. They didn't know he was wanted so they let him go."

"New Orleans? That has to mean he's coming this way," Damon's face hardens in concentration.

"I think so too," Enzo agrees, scrutinizing his friend.

"I want a tail on Elena Gilbert. If he's headed here, she can be the only reason. If we're wrong, no harm, no foul."

Enzo nods, "I'm on it," then leaves the room.

"Son of a Bitch," Damon crumples his empty coffee cup and tosses it aside. He picks up his phone to call her but then sets it back down. He knows full well that she won't listen if he asks her to go to Houston or somewhere safe. The only thing he can do now is to find and arrest Maxfield before he can get anywhere near the woman he loves.

* * *

_I'm sorry for the short chapter but it had to end there... ;)_

_Thanks all. Your kindness and support is very much appreciated._

_Chapter title: 'Trouble' by Lindsay Buckingham. _

_Be safe and have a terrific day. We'll see you next week._


	19. Dangerous Tonight

Elena's pain-filled screams pierce the darkness as the cold steel of the blade is dragged across her arm, slicing open her flesh almost effortlessly and allowing blood to bead up along its path. Wes backs up menacingly. She watches him begin to prowl back and forth in front of her, obscured only by the thick mass of curls hanging in her face. He has the knife secured in one hand while the other toys with the point of the bloody blade.

Her throat feels tight as if someone is choking her. Her heart is racing and all she wants to do is curl up into a ball and wait for someone to save her. But for her plan to work she needs to regain control so she closes her eyes for a few seconds then looks up at him and smirks - just a small pout of her lips; a narrowing of her eyes and a tilt of her head.

He raises his arm like he's going to backhand her for her insolence but stops when she speaks again.

"I thought we were going to run away together and here all you're doing is giving me some scars. If I had known you were going to do this, I wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to primp," she snaps her head, trying to get her hair out of her face.

Fear surges in her veins with every frenetic pound of her heart. By strength of will only, she keeps her eyes and voice steady. "Is this any way to treat the woman you claim to love?" Elena watches him the same way a tiger would as it closes in on its unsuspecting prey.

A shadow passes over his eyes as he approaches her again. Rather than say anything, he dips his fingertip in her blood, moaning when he sticks it in his mouth.

"Let me go, I can make you feel so good..." she toys with him, her glance as conspiratorial as a wink.

"You always were so feisty." He takes her chin in his fingers, tilting it upwards. "Is that what he loves about you?"

Nothing on her face betrays her fear as she jerks away from his grasp. She licks the blood from the corner of her mouth while keeping her stare perfectly intact, "It's certainly what I liked the best about you."

"Oh sweetheart," he cups his junk while leering at her. "Only for tonight," he loosens the ropes and pulls her to her feet. Before she can make any kind of a move, his mouth swallows hers.

Although her heart is pounding in her throat and as repulsive as the act is, she plays along but she can only describe it as sloppy and wet. His tongue feels something like an eel worming its way into her mouth. Her stomach lurches and a wave of nausea rushes through her at the feel of his mouth on hers.

Then suddenly he pulls away and runs his hand over his neck just below his ear. "Katherine... wh," he can't articulate the words against the coming darkness. His legs crumple and he falls forward. Elena takes her own bindings and secures him as best as she can .

"Don't- don't... don't do this."

_How in the hell did she get herself into this mess?_

* * *

_24 hours ago..._

_In the dark with only the illumination from the street lights, a man lurks in the shadows, staring through the window like a cobra about to strike its prey. His eyes narrow to slits as he watches the man and woman._

_An evil glint is the only light in his beady eyes, the dark hue matching the smudges beneath them. Imitating a tarantula's scuttle, he stealthily makes his way closer to the window for a better look. He can't make out the conversation but after watching her mannerisms, the way she carries herself, the waves in her chestnut hair and those brown eyes that radiate a fierce, uncompromising intelligence, he's certain that the woman in the window is indeed Katherine._

_How is it even remotely possible?_

_Markos fucked up. _

_But he's not going to question it. This..._

_I__s a Gift!_

_Should he approach her tonight - sneak up from behind, cover her mouth and shove her in his car? For a brief moment his mind drifts to her children but he doesn't dwell on it, Katherine's his. His features soften slightly as the corners of his mouth lift slowly into a bright smile. He could kill her husband right now - so easily. Pulling the Glock automatic out of his pocket, his heart pounds in excitement as he runs his hand over the cold steel. With steady footsteps he draws closer, raises the gun, and puts his finger on the trigger, the crosshairs landing on Niklaus Mikaelson's head. But if he were to do that, there's no way she would be able to meet up with him tomorrow. As covertly as possible, he disappears like a shadow into the encroaching gloom of twilight._

_From there, he finds a pub near his motel room, ambles up to bar and takes a seat. He crooks his finger at the bartender, orders a bottle of whiskey and glass. After filling it, he throws it back, enjoying the burn as it goes down. Looking around, he realizes what a dive he's stumbled into. Apparently this hole is a hangout for underage hookers of both sexes. From his perch, he watches with his neck goosing from side to side. Then his mind drifts to her. After a time, a petite red-head in a tight black dress takes the seat next to him. When she not so subtly slides closer to him, he jumps up, grabs his bottle and bumps into her, knocking her off her seat on his way out of the bar._

_"You bastard," comes from behind him as he steps out into the dark night and goes back to his room. He drinks half of his bottle then stumbles into the bathroom, only then noticing his rather disheveled look when he sees his reflection in the mirror. He needs to shave and get cleaned up before his date tomorrow - no tonight - he grins when he glances at the Rolex on his wrist. After corking his bottle, he strips off his clothes and gets into the shower where he lathers up his cock and pleasures himself with Katherine's image in his mind._

* * *

_He's breathing heavily, not from heat or fatigue and not from lack of physical capability. From excitement. He's standing near the Ferris Wheel waiting. The wind gently brushes his hair and grazes his face, almost soothingly. This is what he needs. _

_Some risk. _

_Some danger. _

_He begins walking, taking one ragged breath after another. He approaches one of the eating places and slows his pace, peering round it just enough to see a short, obese man with long greasy hair. Rolling his eyes, he pulls a cigarette out of his pocket and lights up. Smoke particles dance in on the inbound breeze, layering his tongue with a woody fragrance._

_Just by happenstance he glances up and sees her approaching the Galaxy wheel. She's a vision, her curls shimmer in the moonlight. Her lips are red as the rose and her tight jeans make him twitch beneath his jeans zipper._

_His heart starts to pound in excitement as he watches her. With a menacing gleam in his eyes, he takes a long draw from his cigarette, drops it to the ground and then begins to move towards her surreptitiously so she doesn't see him coming._

_"Katherine," he lays his hand on her shoulder._

_"Wes," Elena's heart is thundering inside her chest as she smiles and scrutinizes him._

_"I had my doubts you'd show up," he considers her, trying to decide for sure if she's Katherine. He grabs her firmly by the wrist and roughly pushes up her sleeve, his eyes landing on the tattoo of two tiny stars. "It really is you," he runs his finger over it._

_"Why would I lie?" she arches an eyebrow at him, grateful now that she and Katherine got matching tattoos on a whim one day._

_"Come on, let's get out of here," he grabs her by the arm and pulls her along the boardwalk till they reach his car. He shoves her inside then drives to the destination he's prepared..._

_How in the hell did she get herself into this mess?_

* * *

"Damon, it's Enzo, Luka Martin just called in. He's not on duty tonight but he saw Elena Gilbert leaving with a guy. Says either it was Dr. Maxfield or his doppelganger."

_"Where?"_

"He followed them to the parking lot, they drove off before he could stop her."

_"Son of a bitch! Did he get a license number?"_

"He sure did, I already have an APB out."

_"Good work, Enzo. Give it to me,"_ Damon writes it down,_ "I'm going to drive down there, maybe I'll get lucky?" _

* * *

_What's happening to him? Why is he feeling so weak? Did she just...?_ A weak shake of his head is all he can muster before everything goes black. ..

Elena pulls her cellphone out of her bra and presses his icon with a shaky finger. "Answer - please - please - answer."

_"Elena, where are you?" _

"I'm in a warehouse at Pier 21, hurry please?" her voice is trembling.

_"Is there anyway you can tell me the number?" _

She bobs her head, looks back at Wes who's still laying in a heap on the concrete floor then runs outside. "Nine, it's number nine."

_"I'm very close. Stay on the line with me._"

In shock, she just shakes her head_._

_"Are you there, Elena?"_

"Yeah," she mumbles, sighing heavily when headlights swarm over the darkened pier. The car screeches to a halt, Damon flies out of driver's seat but just before he reaches her, Wes stumbles out the warehouse with a rope dragging from his ankle, wraps an arm around her neck, squeezes hard then presses the muzzle of his gun against her temple.

Damon raises his pistol, aiming it right at the man's head. "Let her go," he yells.

"We're gonna play this my way or she dies," he sneers, his face hardens into that of a demon.

"She dies, you die," Damon keeps his gun trained on Wes.

"I want...," he starts when suddenly a Range Rover appears driving erratically and nearly crashing into the building. Wes tightens his grip and shoots the man that falls out of the back door and just as quickly sticks the gun's muzzle flush against Elena's ear.

"Let her go," Damon yells again, moving closer.

Wes shoves Elena inside, follows her, then aims the gun at the driver, demanding he get them out of there now. The man slams his foot on the gas pedal, leaving Damon behind in a cloud of dust.

Damon's about to jump in his car and give chase when he sees a TV helicopter about a block down the street. He slides behind the wheel, slamming the brakes and skidding to a halt in front of it.

"Hey, get that thing away before I call the cops," reporter Andie Starr glares at him.

Damon flashes his badge, "I'm commandeering this chopper," he climbs in. "Call 911, a man was shot up by warehouse 9," he puts the headphones on and tells the pilot to look for a black Range Rover. The guy nods and soon they're airborne. Luck must be with him because it doesn't take long for them to find the vehicle on the Galveston Causeway.

* * *

Wes is trying to see what's going on ahead. The driver is speaking heatedly in Spanish, and getting no answers.

Elena feels as though her blood is on fire. Oblivious to the pain in her arm, she uses the moment of distraction to lunge forward to grab at the gun. Wes fires erratically as they struggle for control of the weapon. The sound is deafening. A second shot rings out, catching the driver behind the ear, and he slumps forward. His foot mashes down on the accelerator pedal and the car surges faster.

Damon watches the vehicle track chaotically back and forth across the lanes from one guardrail to the other, throwing off sparks where metal hits metal.

Inside, Elena knocks Wes's hands against the edge of the open sun roof and the pistol goes flying out. Adrenaline floods her system like it's on an intravenous drip - right into one of her coronary arteries at full pelt. Her breaths are harsh and ragged, she almost thinks her heart will explode.

"You... bastard," she rages, grabbing at his head and pounding it against anything hard she can find. A hard swerve makes her stop, giving her a moment to look out the front window. Panic flares in her eyes as fresh terror rears up and claws at her throat.

A half a mile ahead, the causeway is still under repair after Hurricane Harvey's wrath.

The chopper is descending rapidly to catch up. Damon climbs out onto the skids. He hooks an arm and leg over it and hangs down as low as he can.

With fear flooding her body, Elena shakily stands on the seat, sticks her head through the sunroof and flails her arms frantically towards Damon.

"Get lower, god-damnit! Right now!" Damon strains downward with one hand while Elena reaches up toward him. The car screeches along the guard-rail, slamming against it, throwing her from side to side in the sunroof. Their fingers touch, then separate. She looks forward - the limo is almost on the precipice.

Wes is desperately pulling on the driver. The man's body slumps over on him, pinning him down. He looks over the dash as the shattered edge of the causeway rushes toward them.

The chopper drops again, Damon finally gets a tenuous grip on Elena's wrist, jerking her through the sunroof, screaming just as the car arcs gracefully into the ocean below.

Damon finally manages to pull Elena up and onto the skid with him. She is gasping, holding on for dear life as she looks down at the ocean, the wreckage on the bridge, the whole unbelievable panorama.

And then she looks up at Damon in shock...

_She's alive! _

* * *

_That scene was totally modeled after the one in 'True Lies'. I tried to research if the Galveston Causeway was damaged by Hurricane Harvey. I believe it was but when I googled, it really only showed damage to Galveston as a whole. I apologize if my assumption is incorrect. We always try to do meticulous research for accuracy when we work on a story. _

_Chapter title: 'Dangerous Tonight' by Alice Cooper._

_Thank you all very much. We're not done yet, there are still a few chapters of story left to tell and perhaps a surprise... ;)_

_Have a terrific day, be safe and we'll see you next time. _


	20. Follow

"Damon?" Enzo approaches him as he enters the Emergency Department. He accompanied Elena to have her arm looked at. As soon as her brother- in- law arrives to take her home, he'll have to go to the station to begin filling out reports. There'll be no sleep for him tonight.

"I thought you might need a good cup of coffee," Enzo hands him a Starbucks Venti-sized Americano.

"Thanks Enzo, I'm just waiting to see Elena for a moment before I head back to the station. We'll need the police divers and a crane in the morning to pull that vehicle out of the water and retrieve what I assume are two bodies. Elena said the driver accidentally got capped when she was struggling with Maxfield for the gun."

"Damon?" his brother walks into the waiting room. "Enzo how are you?"

"Good Stefan, glad you were here tonight."

"How is she?" Damon interrupts, taking a long swallow of his coffee.

"She wants to see you," he leads Damon through the double doors and into Elena's exam room.

Elena looks up when she hears the curtain slide open. "Hi."

"Hello," he looks at her arm with a long row of sutures. He steps aside when nurse Ari returns to wrap it with kerlix.

"I just wanted to say thanks for saving me. I know what I did was probably stupid..."

"Probably?" he furrows his brows at her.

"It worked didn't it? He's dead or at least I hope he is," she looks at him somberly.

"We were close to arresting him, Elena. He could have killed you," Damon looks at her sardonically.

"He didn't though..." she starts, her words dying on her lips when Nik whips the curtain open and whooshes past Damon as if he wasn't there. Immediately, he wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close, gently rubbing her good arm. Despite the heaviness in her stomach, she sinks into the warmth of his side, appreciative of the simple gesture.

Damon curls his upper lip to keep himself from speaking. His mind is whirling with thoughts that only make him assume the worst. The feeling of jealousy is slowly growing into his skin, filling his blood making his eyes go dark, and his mouth becomes a straight line. When he clears his throat, Nik separates from her slightly.

"I need to get to the office. We'll need to get a statement from you at your earliest convenience."

"If they let me out of here, I'll come down tomorrow," Elena looks up at him.

"Alright," he nods. "Goodnight, Elena, I'm glad you're going to be alright."

"How did you let this happen?" Nik glowers at Damon.

"Don't Nik," Elena interrupts, "I'll fill you in later."

With a nod to her, Damon departs, pulling the curtain closed behind him.

* * *

The coolness of the early morning is deceptive; the sun has barely risen as Damon makes his way towards the docks. After parking his car, he catches Enzo stopping to light up a cigarette. Together they jog to the police boat. He greets their divers, Brady Williams, Lexi Branson and Maddox Jackson, shaking each of their hands. With a nod to the boat captain, it pulls out of the harbor and into the open ocean towards the break in the causeway where the Range Rover went into the Gulf.

Damon sticks his hands in his pockets. It's chilly this morning but he can't deny that early mornings are their own reward. The city buildings are silhouettes against a crimson sky and the air smells of the ocean. There are no drone of cars, there's only the cry of the gulls as they fly around and dip down on the sand to get morsels of food.

The sea, perfectly calm, is like a peaceful lake, and its soft murmurs are scarcely audible. The waves seem to sleep. A line of darker blue marks the curve of the horizon. Sitting down on the edge, Damon sticks his hand in to feel the temperature, knowing their divers are going to have to go into frigid water. It moves softly around his outstretched fingers, caressing coolly, eddying in its wake. He pulls it out and watches the drips. They fall as if snatched by gravity to the salty ocean below, each one swiftly haloed by ever-growing rings, distorting the otherwise calm surface. In the breeze his wet hand is cold, yet his back is being warmed by the early morning sun.

Captain Silas throws the anchor over when they reach the area of the dive. The causeway carries traffic over Galveston Bay and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The original causeway was built in 1912 and carried both rail and auto traffic. The auto traffic was transferred to new causeways built to the west in 1939, leaving the original bridge for rail traffic. That route was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The causeway was damaged by Hurricane Harvey last year and they have made a lot of progress with the repair. Damon has to wonder if the driver willfully ignored the construction barricades or if Wes forced him onto it with his gun? He watches as the divers put their oxygen tanks and gear on and with a thumbs up, they drop backwards over the edge of the boat and into the depths below.

Damon stares into the water, hoping to see something but it's futile with the poor visibility. "Thanks," he nods when Enzo hands him a cup of coffee from his thermos. He takes a sip, his thoughts drift to Elena, he doesn't know if she was discharged last evening or if she was kept overnight. He'll have to call her if he can string five minutes together. When bubbles begin appear on the surface, he puts those thoughts aside and focuses on the water. Moments later Brady rises with the body of a Wes Maxfield and within moments the other two rise with the body of the other man. With an impassive look on his face, Damon stands back while the other crew members lift the remains onto the boat and store them in body bags.

With the bodies safely on board, Captain Silas radios the crane operator to the location of the submerged vehicle, then the anchor is lifted and the boat heads back to the harbor to meet the awaiting coroner's van for transport to the police morgue.

Damon stares at the horizon where the sea meets the sky with only an occasional glance at the two body bags. In this job he's seen death over and over, a corpse is simply a corpse unless someone who loved them enters the room. That's when the atmosphere changes, when they start to feel the trauma. Mostly they deal with it later with macabre humor - the hit and run victim is "roadkill" and the stabbing victim is a "pin cushion." It isn't that he and his men don't care, it's more that they have to find a way to do their jobs and still function as spouses, lovers and parents...

* * *

Several hours later, Damon takes the stairs downstairs to talk to the coroner, Dr. Josette Laughlin. Rapping on the door frame, he enters when one of her staff opens it.

"Hi Damon," Josette appears at the threshold of her office, gesturing for him to join her.

"It's been awhile," Damon shakes her hand then takes a seat. "How's the family?"

"Lizzie and Josie are growing like weeds, they're already 5 years old," she hands him the frame that's sitting on her desktop.

"My little niece, Allie too. Of course she has her uncle Damon completely whipped," he takes the picture, "Very cute."

"I think so but I'm a little biased," she sets it back on her desk when he returns it.

"What can you tell me about our vics?"

"Mr. Salazaar was found in the driver's seat. He was killed by 9 mm slug to the head. The trajectory of the bullet shows he was shot from behind. The other body, identified as Wesley Maxfield drowned."

"Shot from behind?" Damon repeats, his eyes focused intently on her.

"Yes, the bullet entered right temporal bone," she points to the area behind her ear.

"Curious!" he glances at his watch. "I need to run, Miss Gilbert should be arriving shortly to give her statement. Thank you, Jo, I'll be in touch," he nods and exits the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Damon's face is buried in a file when he's alerted that Elena has arrived. He gets up to meet her at the door, his eyes perusing her form and focusing in on her arm that's in a sling. "How are you?" he asks as he extends his arm for her to have a seat. He catches a glimpse of Nik Mikaelson seated in the waiting area. Silently sighing, he pulls a chair out for her then sits down himself.

"It hurts but other than that, I'm fine," she looks up at him, her heart pounding in her throat at being so close to him.

"Do you want a cup of coffee or a bottle of water?" he tries to break the uneasiness in the room.

"No, I'm _fine,_ Damon," she stresses, "I just want to tell you what happened. I'm scheduled to attend a work related conference in Oklahoma City Friday. I won't be available for a few days."

"Alright. Do you mind if I record you? I have to have your consent," he pulls open his drawer to set the recorder, nodding for her to begin.

"Well," she drops her chin for a moment, "You have to understand that Katherine and I were very close. She was five years older than me, still people often mistook us for twins. I used that to my advantage, I called him."

"You called him? At his medical office?" Damon looks at her quizzically.

"I told you I ran into him in Virginia, he slipped a business card in my pocket. I only found it later."

His face is taut as the hand on his lap curls into a fist.

"I told him that his goon killed Elena, that 'she' was babysitting _that_ day...," she goes silent for a moment.

"Elena?"

"Sorry, I arranged for us to meet near the Galaxy Wheel at the Pleasure Pier."

* * *

These difficult emotions, she imagines them as a river flowing by her. There is nothing to be done about them, she just needs to stay calm and tell her story.

"You pretended to be your sister?" Damon's eyes snap to hers.

"I did. He was already waiting when I got there, he shoved me into a vehicle and drove past the pier. He parked his car some distance away and then we walked till we reached that building. Next thing I knew his hand was over my face. I don't know, chloroform maybe? When I came to, I was tied up and he was slicing my arm," she unconsciously rubs her free hand over her sling.

"It was damn hard and I was terrified but I realized the only chance I had was to remain in character. Under the guise of having sex," Blush sears through Elena's cheeks and for a minute it feels like her face is on fire. She's certain that his eyes are looking at her, eagerly waiting for more.

"Go on," Damon urges her, trying not to embarrass her anymore than she aleady is.

"I got him to untie me," she sucks her lower lip between her teeth and wipes her clammy palm on her jeans. "I let him kiss me and while he was sticking his tongue in my mouth, I jabbed him in the neck with some Ketamine. He collapsed, I tied him up as best I could then I called you and well, you know the rest."

"Can you tell me what happened in the vehicle?"

"We struggled for the gun, he fired and killed the driver, that's why the car was zig-zagging on the road. I knew he'd kill me so I fought with everything in me."

"Did he force the driver to take the Causeway? Surely you knew of the construction?"

"I wasn't paying attention to that, Damon, I was focused on trying to survive."

"Police divers plucked their bodies out of the water, he didn't survive, you and your family are safe now."

"Is that all?" she asks, her fingertips tapping nervously on her thigh.

"Not quite," he turns off the recorder, walks around to her side of the desk and plants his ass on the edge. "What the hell were you thinking? He could have killed you. I told you we were close to making an arrest."

Words leave her. She stares into those bright blue eyes burning with anger, and her heart falls silent.

"Do you have nothing to say for yourself?" His eyes desperately search hers… waiting.

"When he disappeared, I had to do something," she clenches her fist tightly, until her nails dig into the palm of her hand, but she barely notices. The only thing she is really aware of, is the sound of her heart throbbing against the cage of her chest. She feels her blush deepen under his scrutiny and when Damon pulls her to her feet, he tilts her head to the side and kisses her, his lips demanding. A smoldering heat burns deep within her as his grip tightens. He tastes like November, like hot chocolate on stormy evenings and crisp autumn air.

Then he steps back, putting distance between them. "If you had died, I would never have been able to tell you that I...," the words die on his lips when his office door flies open to reveal Nik Mikaelson.

A heavy silence settles over them, thicker then the uneasy tension in the atmosphere.

Nik gives Damon a death stare, "We have to go," his eyes dart to Elena as he moves next to her and urges her towards the door. As she puts a foot over the threshold, she stops and looks back at Damon.

"If you need anything else, you know how to reach me," she watches the momentary disappointment shadow his previously anticipating expression before he composes himself with nonchalance she knows he's forcing.

"Sure," he states with portraying eyes that suggest it maybe some time before she sees him again.

Losing the strength to face him directly, her eyes fall to Nik and they leave with his arm around her shoulder. Her feelings for Damon have her treading in deep water... His job is fraught with danger - she could lose him at any time - for any reason. Still she's finding it incredibly difficult to ignore the little voice inside - the one telling her that letting him escape might prove to be her biggest regret.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed today's chapter - 4 left. _

_Huge thanks for the reviews, follows, favorites. You're all amazing. _

_Chapter title: 'Follow' by Breaking Benjamin._

_Have a wonderful day. We'll see you next time with updates on both stories. _


	21. On My Way

Damon walks into the courtroom, taking a seat next to Detective Rayna Cruz. He flew to Richmond for Galen Vaughn's sentencing hearing. It's not that he was needed there but he felt an almost compelling urge to give Katherine Mikaelson the peace in death that eluded her in life.

Galen pled guilty so his sentencing is merely a formality but it will finally bring closure to this case. The most shocking thing however was discovered by Gia Russo. By the time she and her team were done with the forensic computer examinations, they had found evidence to also implicate Maxfield's wife in Katherine's murder. It was discovered that Meghan Maxfield was the instigator of the plot to kill Katherine. It was she who got her husband to patch up Galen after his gunshot wound which was then used for leverage to bring their murderous plot to fruition. Surprising everyone, she agreed to plead guilty for a lesser sentence - still she'll spend the next twenty five years behind bars.

His heart catches when Elena and Nik walk down the aisle to sit in the first row behind the attorney representing the State. Her hair is in a sleek high ponytail. She's wearing a sharp looking tan blazer with black dress pants, a white button down and black heels. This is the first time he's seen her since she left his office _that_ day. He'd been sent to Lubbock, Texas to work on a case although he did make it home for his father's birthday six weeks ago. His thoughts are interrupted when the Judge enters the courtroom and gavels the proceedings to order.

Galen Vaughn stands along with his attorney to hear his fate entered into the legal record.

"Mr. Vaughn, you have plead guilty to helping to facilitate the murder of Katherine Gilbert - Mikaelson. I have read over your plea bargain agreement. I hereby sentence you to twelve years in prison. You will be eligible for parole after serving eight years."

"Thank you Your Honor, I would like to say that I'm sorry for my role in the woman's murder. I owed Dr. Maxfield and his wife a great debt and felt I had no other choice but to comply. In hindsight, I should've gone directly to the authorities. I will have to live with this the rest of my life as will her family members."

"You may sit down," Judge Hopkins pauses for a moment, his eyes landing on the victim's relatives. "Mrs. Mikaelson's husband and sister are here to speak," he nods a the State's attorney, Carol Lockwood who nods at Nik.

"Mr. Vaughn, I don't know if you've ever seen these pictures of what your actions did to my wife. I'd like to show them to your family. Do they realize that when her killer stabbed her, it was so hard that the blade bent?" he raises a crime scene photo of his wife's body.

Galen drops his eyes, unable to look at it.

"There are going to be recitals, graduations, weddings where there will be empty place, an empty spot in their hearts. I try to do the best I can honoring her memory to them. As they grow up, I'll tell them about her and what a wonderful woman she was," his voice cracks as he finishes. He glares at the man then returns to his seat.

Damon blows out a breath at the powerful statement. His eyes follow him as he sits down. Elena squeezes his hand and then stands to give her statement.

"Thank you, Your Honor for giving me the opportunity to speak," she addresses the Judge directly. "At first when I was told I would be able to speak my mind as to what my thoughts would be on the effects of what happened and the punishment this man will receive, I knew exactly what to say, but when you begin putting pen to paper you get lost," her eyes start to water but she's determined to continue. "We all know what this person has done. He helped to take away my sister and with her left a piece of my heart. No matter how many times I try to put back the pieces, I always see her face. His actions led directly to her murder. While I'm grateful for his cooperation, it doesn't mend the wounds or heal the burns left on our hearts and minds. Thank you for allowing me to speak. And Katherine," her voice is thick as she raises her eyes, "You can rest easy now," she clears her throat and turns, only then seeing Damon.

For perhaps a split second her grief is suspended, the surprise protecting her until it shatters like glass, _she misses him._ Tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down her face. The muscles of her chin tremble like a small child. With her heart in her throat, she gives him a subtle nod then returns to Nik, allowing him to comfort her while her tears fall freely.

"Mr. Vaughn," Judge Hopkins addresses him. "You are hereby remanded into custody to begin serving your sentence." Three police officers appear and lead him out of the courtroom.

"Rest in peace, Katherine," Damon whispers then leaves the courtroom along with the rest of the crowd when the Judge gavels the hearing to a close.

* * *

As soon as they're outside, Elena - having regained her composure - approaches him, "Damon, I'm actually in shock that you're here."

"I promised you that I would get her justice, I wanted to be here for that," Damon looks at her wistfully.

"Thank you, I mean, I didn't expect it but it was a really nice gesture."

"I'm sure she's very proud of you, I am."

"I had to, she can no longer speak for herself," she pauses for a minute when she catches a glimpse of Nik talking to the prosecution attorney. "Where did you go, Damon?"

"Right now I'm in Lubbock, I'm working a homicide case up there."

"I was wondering," she half smiles at him, "Will you be coming back to Galveston?"

"My family is there so yes, I'll be back at some point. My sister in law is pregnant again, they put Allie on the phone to convince me to come to her baby shower."

"Never underestimate the power of little people," she smiles despite the somber day.

"Indeed," he nods. More than anything, he wants to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless but he sees the possessive look on Mikaelson's face when he approaches them.

"Elena, we have a flight to catch," Nik steps in beside her, takes her hand and squeezes it dramatically. Damon's certain that was done for his benefit. _He might as well piss on her to make his claim for all the drama he put into the gesture. _

"We have to go, thanks again for coming, Damon," she gives him a smile and then walks away while keeping her hand entwined with Nik's.

Damon watches till they slip into a taxi and after saying goodbye to Detective Cruz hops one to the airport himself.

* * *

"How are things in Lubbock?" Enzo signals the waitress to bring them some menus.

"I was told to take a few days off but then they found another body so I have to fly back tomorrow."

"How many is that?"

"Four, we have canvassed the neighborhoods repeatedly but no one knows anything although we do have a good amount of forensic evidence. We ran the prints through AFIS and DNA through CODIS - no hits yet."

"You'll get him, I have faith in you," Enzo peruses the menu. When their waitress returns, he orders a Porterhouse steak with American fries, salad and a nectarine margarita. "Put it all on one bill," he tells her.

"I'll have the chicken fajitas and a watermelon margarita." Suddenly a familiar voice commands his attention. He looks around and then he sees her. She's a vision in a tank top, her olive skin gleaming like diamonds. Also at her table is a red headed woman, her niece, nephew and a sandy blonde haired man. It must be the aunt and uncle that raised her? Tightening his lips, he starts to slide out of his booth to go say hi when Nik Mikaelson slides beside her and extends his arm behind her, letting it rest on the back of booth.

If it wasn't obvious to him in Virginia that they're together, it seems pretty much confirmed now. He doesn't want to hear Mikaelson explain that Elena's uncanny resemblance to his wife had no bearing on their relationship._ The fuck it didn't. _

With a sullen look on his face, he turns around in his seat as his hand curls into a fist. He, a member of the legendary Texas Rangers, is a fucking coward!

* * *

"Happy Birthday, Aunt Jenna," Elena beams at the woman when a group of three waiters slide a cart over with a big cake. One of them blows a noise maker then they sing happy birthday, making her aunt's face turn red.

"You wait till your birthday comes. Payback is a b..." Jenna swallows the word when little Noah looks up at her. "Well you know what I mean," she eyes her niece mischieviously.

"Cake?" Noah's eyes are huge as the waiter plates it up and after handing the first piece to Jenna, gives him one.

"Me cake too," Nadia claps excitedly.

Elena picks up a spoon and hands it to her. By sheer happenstance, at that moment, she catches a glimpse of _him _as he walks past the window. "Excuse me," she starts to stand.

Nik looks at her strangely but stands up so she can get out. He watches perplexed as she walks towards the restaurant's entrance then moves to follow her.

"I'll be right back."

Elena's head is spinning as she bursts through the restaurant door to try to catch him. She scans the parking lot using her hand as a visor to shade her eyes from the sun. Not seeing him, she starts to move amongst the cars, her eyes darting more wildly with each passing second. Then she begins to call for him.

Hearing his name, Damon turns around, his eyes scanning - landing on Elena's at the same time hers land on him.

"Elena?" he pushes his door closed, trots over to her and there is the gentle hug of arms that still gives her the space to breathe.

"Damon, it's been a couple of months, are you still in Lubbock?"

"I am, hopefully not too much longer though," he looks at her searchingly and is unable to stop himself from pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. He loves the touch - her warmth seeps into his being and she comforts him without even opening her mouth.

"I just wanted to say hi," she nods and takes a step back.

"Elena, please wait. Look, you're with your family today," he tips his head to Nik who's standing just outside the restaurant's entrance watching them. "I owe you an explanation and apology... Do you think we can talk either later or tomorow sometime? I need to be back in Lubbock Sunday, it's a long-ass drive."

"I'd like that. Can you be at my house around 8:30 this evening?"

"I'll be there," he wants to lean over and kiss her but doesn't want to overstep his bounds, at least not before they talk. Seeing Nik approach, he tells her goodbye then walks away, a grin forming on his face - she said _her _house.

"Everything okay?" Nik asks when he catches up to her, his eyes shooting darts at Damon.

Her head is swimming with questions. The ache of longing to be with_ him_ echoes through the very marrow of her bones. Before Katherine, she never knew that missing someone could take over every fiber of her being and wring her out like a wet sponge every day. Damon's absence, however, is a torment she was unprepared for.

_Is there hope to be had? _

"Yeah, I think it will be," she nods and after a heavy exhale goes back inside the restaurant to rejoin her family.

* * *

_*The Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, blends forensic science and computer technology into a tool for linking violent crimes. It enables federal, state, and local forensic laboratories to exchange and compare DNA profiles electronically, thereby linking serial violent crimes to each other and to known offenders. _

_*AFIS: Automated fingerprint identification is the process of using a computer to match fingerprints against a database of known and unknown prints._

_Thank you all so very, very much._

_Chapter title: 'On My Way' by Thorne Empire._

_Have a terrific day._


	22. New York

Elena's heart begins to pound when the sound of the door knocker alerts her to his arrival. She takes a moment to spritz a little perfume on before forcing herself to walk slowly to the door, hoping he won't pick up on her nervousness. Pulling it open, she smiles at the sight of him. Dark wash jeans, boots, v neck tee and his customary leather jacket.

"Hello Elena," he gives her a roguish grin that masks the anxiety he feels inside.

"Come in," she steps aside, allowing him to cross the threshold. Leading him to the living room, she offers him a drink. "I have whiskey, bourbon, vodka, wine. I'm not a huge drinker but it's nice to have on hand for guests."

"Bourbon's good," he takes off his jacket, hangs it on her coat rack then sits down on the couch.

She watches him for a moment before filling two tumblers. He has tousled dark brown hair, which is thick and lustrous. His eyes are a mesmerizing deep ocean blue, flecks of silvery light performing ballets throughout. His face is strong and defined, his features molded from the finest marble. His perfect lips are ripe for the kissing. Shaking herself out of it, she hands the drink to him before taking a seat next to him.

"Thank you," he takes a healthy swallow, sets his glass down on the end table then shifts to face her. "I see no sense in beating around the bush."

"Okay," she takes a swallow from her glass.

"First, I want to apologize for just disappearing. You deserved better from me. It just seemed like every time I wanted to talk to you or touch you, your brother-in-law would make an appearance," a wistful look appears in his eyes. "That day in my office, Elena, I wanted to tell you that I love you, I'm in love with you. Falling for you was like entering a house and finally realizing I'm home. When you smile at me I feel invisible hands wrapping around me making me feel safe. When your eyes are locked on mine, it's like I can see galaxies instead of just pupils."

Elena didn't expect the conversation to turn so quick to the topic she's been wondering about for months. Her breath hitches and she takes a few shaky ones in an attempt to find her composure. She traces his lower lip lightly with the tip of her finger. It pouts slightly, and she has the urge to bite it, to kiss it, to wrap them up in a quilt and listen to their gentle breathing, watching the cotton ripple. like skipping stones and sharing crooked smiles. She gazes so intently at the divot on his upper one, as if it could map out ancient seas and tell her everything she doesn't know.

He kisses her fingertip then links their fingers together. "Nothing's changed but I have to be completely honest with you, the reason I accepted the Lubbock job was because I didn't want to see you with him," he pauses, unable to read her face.

"Damon, there's nothing between Nik and me. I told him months ago that there couldn't be anything romantic between us."

"You did?"

"Yes, I did. That was even before the night we spent together."

"I'm sorry, so - so sorry. It's just that every time I see you two together, he seems pretty possessive, his hands were always on... you don't seem to mind." His eyes drop - at the moment, he feels like the biggest fool who's ever walked the face of the earth. Why did he think the better option was staying away from here?

"You mean we wasted all these months because of a false assumption?" she looks at him sardonically.

"I'm an idiot," he gives her a crooked smile.

"Yes, you are but you're not entirely to blame. I should have told Nik to back off a little. I think he's being over protective because he believes that's what Katherine would want," she pauses to take a breath. "I want you to know that, I love you too."

Unable to look or speak, he leans closer and then his mouth is on hers. She doesn't have time to protest, not that she wants to, because his tongue dips inside as his hands find purchase on her hips. The kiss is searing, burning a trail from her mouth all the way down to the tips of her toes. Her hands grip onto each of his broad shoulders and when she digs her nails in, he groans, sending a tidal wave of heat crashing through her veins.

And when they part, their chests are heaving, Damon stares at her for what seems like hours but it's really only seconds. "I fell for you instantly and because I love you, I have to be completely honest with you."

"You're scaring me," she scooches over, giving herself a little space.

"There's no one else if that's what your thinking. I want this, I want us," he waves his index finger back and forth between them. "I'm a law officer, Elena. It's a hard life for the people we love. Surely you remember those five Dallas police officers* that were ambushed and murdered a couple years ago?"

"Yes, I remember," she swallows past the lump in her throat.

"I love you and I want to build a life with you more than anything in the world but you need to know what you're signing up for."

"I love you too, Damon. And yeah, I can't deny that it scares me to think that I could say goodbye to you some morning and that would turn out to be our last one," a haunted look fills her eyes.

Damon pulls her against his chest and wraps his arms around her. He can feel her heart pounding against his chest. "I want you to take some time, maybe a lot of time to really think about what being with me means. If you can't, I won't hate you, Elena, I could never," he brushes his lips across her forehead.

"The thought of losing you has crossed my mind..." she sniffs, trying to keep her tears from falling.

"That's good, that's what I want. So listen, I'm going to go, I have to get up early to drive back to Lubbock," he releases his hold on her and swallows down the rest of his bourbon. They both stand, Damon pulls his jacket off the rack and slips it on.

"I don't want you to go," she reaches for his hand and squeezes his fingers.

"Neither do I, beautiful but I have to..." his voice trails off.

The next thing she knows, he slams his lips to hers, nearly punching all the air from her lungs. She barely has a moment to react before he presses his tongue to the seam of her lips and, at her grant of access, delves inside her mouth. Her arms reach up and tangle around his thick, strong neck. She pulls away and arches up into his broad chest, moaning at the contact of his body heat against her own, before returning her mouth to his. She can feel the slight burn of his bourbon as it seeps down her throat with every push of his tongue against hers.

Several moments pass before he finds the wherewithal to step back. "I need to go. Please think about what I said," he gives her a wistful look, then walks through the door and out of her life... at least for now.

Elena watches him drive away then pushes the door closed, sliding down it as her eyes begin to mist over. As much as she knows he's right, it's for the best that she considers everything he talked about, it still hurt to see him go. She sits on the floor for a long time before she gets up, turns out the lights and retreats to her bedroom where she curls up in her bed, knowing with absolute certainly that sleep will prove elusive on this night.

* * *

"Well, if you want my opinion, I think you should forget about him. There's tons of guys you work with who are dying to go out with you," Caroline swats a fly at it buzzes around her face.

Elena's walking on beach alongside her friend, her eyes moving from sand to stone, from rock pools to breaking waves. In the warm summer sunshine she breathes in the briny aroma. The new rays of the day bring a frisson of energy to her finger tips. She watches the seagulls swoop in and around the sand as they bring their high pitched squawks to a percussion of pebbles to the shoreline. It's a beautiful day, one for dreaming of what ifs.

"Caroline, I love you but this decision is mine. I think it was really unselfish and considerate of him to ask me to think about all the consequences of being with a law officer."

"I suppose, and you know I'll support you no matter what, I just don't know why you'd put yourself in that position?"

"Just stop, okay?" Elena stoops over, picks up a stone and skips it across the water. "I'm going to head home, I promised Nik that I'd watch the twins for a couple hours. He's taking Camille to a movie."

"So they're hitting it off?"

"Yes, I think it's great, she really cares for Noah and Nadia, they love her too plus there's the added benefit of Nik not hovering and invading my space so much."

"Yeah, I was wondering what was up with that," Caroline glances at her.

"I think he felt it was his duty to Katherine but he and I had a few words so..."

"I'm glad you did otherwise I may have had to," Care elbows her playfully. "Do you have to go, I thought you told me his parents are visiting?"

"Yep, they are but he wants them to be able to go out too. I'll call you later," Elena gives her best friend a hug and then jogs off towards the parking lot.

* * *

As sand slides from the bucket, Elena watches. For that tiny moment the waves hush and the birds hold their chattering. She feels as if the beach is a photograph and she's eternal within it. She dreams of the inner life of his castle, the one formed at her touch. Music bounces from within,beautiful notes grow into dancing, bringing the people to movement. She sees a million sunrises and the starry nights that follow, each as crisp and perfect as the last. And then the moment blossoms into a fresh one.

The corner of the castle crumbles as if it were a raisin cake in the hand of a hungry child. Elena laughs as Noah and Nadia pile their buckets of sand onto it. Now the sandcastle has character. She breathes in the seaside air. Soon she is creating a story, one of bravery and love, one of strong open hearts, telling it to her niece and nephew as they dip their little toes in the warm, golden sand.

Elena ran with Caroline at the beach this morning. The home Nik and Katherine were to move into is now complete, it's a seaside home with a private beach. After the kids wore themselves out, she took them inside and put them down for a nap before making herself a cup of tea. She's sitting at the kitchen table staring into nothingness as her thoughts shift to Damon.

"Elena?"

She looks up to see Nik's mother Esther. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"No, help yourself. There's some other teas in the cupboard if you don't like that kind," she points at the box on the counter.

Esther nods, "I checked on the kids before I came downstairs, they're sound asleep."

"Thanks, I was going to go up in a little bit too," Elena takes sip of her tea just as the older woman sits down. Her mind drifts to Damon yet again...

"Is something troubling you, dear?"

"Am I that obvious?" she gets up to refill her glass.

"A little yes. Do you want to tell me about it?"

Elena smiles and figures why not, she'll give her an unbiased opinion. "One of the men that helped solve Katherine's case is a Texas Ranger. He loves and wants to be with me but he also told me that I need to give it a lot of thought. Being a policeman or a law officer is dangerous, he wants me to go into it with my eyes open."

"Do you love him?"

"I do, but I can't deny I am a little scared."

"Oh sweetheart," Esther squeezes her hand. "Let me tell you something. My first husband, Ansel was a police officer."

"I had no idea you were married before."

"I don't talk about him much. He died in the line of duty and he did take a piece of my heart with him. Niklaus is his son, he was only 10 months old when his father died. Elijah is Mikael's son. I won't go into all our family dynamics but when we married, I adopted Elijah and he adopted Niklaus. I love Elijah as if he came from my body and Mikael adores Niklaus," Esther takes swallow from her mug.

"The reason I'm telling you this is - even if someone had a crystal ball and had shown me that I would lose Ansel, I wouldn't change a thing. He taught me the meaning of love and selflessness. I'm not telling you what to do, Elena, I would never do that and neither should anyone else. It's your life and you have to make the decision that's right for you no matter what that choice may be."

"You've given me a lot to consider, Esther. Thank you for entrusting me with your story."

"You're welcome. You certainly don't have to stay around here on a Friday evening if you have plans. Mikael and I are here to watch the youngsters."

"Thank you again," Elena gets up and puts her cup in the sink.

"Elena, just remember there is no wrong answer. Whichever path you follow will be the right one for you." Esther adds, an understanding look on her face.

"Goodbye," Elena picks up her bag off the counter then leaves through kitchen door, her mind buzzing with possibilities and everything Esther revealed.

* * *

Rather than going straight home, Elena drives down towards the water, taking scenic Harborside Drive to chill for a bit and to get her myriad of thoughts into some kind of order. Before heading for home, she turns onto Moody Avenue, stopping at 'The Wine Next Door' to buy a nice bottle to take home.

After having a bite to eat, she sets the mood in her bathroom. She lights some candles, puts a CD of soft music in her player and with a generous glassful of Stella Rosa Imperiale Russo Lux, she drops her robe, climbs into her tub and slides down into the bubbles. The bath gel she used is iridescent so the bubbles are rainbow colored as she ducks down under the water, rising up with her hair and face covered in them. Taking the stem of her glass, she takes a good swallow then leans back and closes her eyes.

Music fills the small space, like the waves filling holes in beach sand. As it reaches a crescendo, she imagines sharing quiet moments like these with_ him._ Moonlight walks along the beach, riding the Ferris Wheel on the pier, sailing, picnics and even collecting sand dollars that wash onto the shore. She knows all of it is a possibility with Damon. Suddenly her eyes snap open, she's known the answer all along.

_She loves him._

He never leaves her mind, he's always there; emotionally if not physically. It's just incomprehensible. His eyes are stunning. They remind her of a fragile piece of blue china, the lightest shade of teal, the sea floor in which she could be swimming in right this second.

This feeling is so strange; it stretches throughout her whole body. It's overwhelming, yet makes her feel complete. It has no bounds nor lengths nor depths - it's absolute. It feels as though her heart is dancing around inside her chest and a hole, she was never aware of before has been filled.

_It's him, it's Damon. _

Jumping out of the tub, she quickly dries off, throws her hair into a bun and runs to her bedroom where her phone is sitting on her bedside stand. She feels giddy and silly but she can't help it. Pickng it up, she pushes his icon, biting her bottom lip while waiting for him to answer.

"_Hope your day's going better than mine." _

"It is now that I hear your voice," she smiles.

_"Same. As much as I want to talk to you all night, I'm on my way to the station." _

"Before you go... something happened today. I came to a realization about you...about us. It's the most real thing that I have ever felt in my entire life. I love you, Damon. I love you."

_"Listen carefully. Get in your car, right now. Come to me." _

"I'll be there sooner than you think," she hangs up the phone. Dressing quickly, she throws some clothes in a bag, grabs her purse and after locking her home, she drives to the airport to catch a flight to Lubbock.

* * *

_*On July 7, 2016, a man ambushed and fired upon a group of police officers in Dallas, Texas, killing five and injuring nine others._

_Chapter title: 'New York' by Snow Patrol. _

_Our DE version of Sweet Home Alabama - updated Tuesday._

_Have a wonderful day, we'll see you next week. _


	23. Kiss You All Over

Upon exiting the plane, Elena feels giddy with excitement. She wants to run, to shout, to tell everyone that she's in love. Her mind is like a butterfly, every fiber of her being is vibrating with anticipation. Adrenaline is coursing through her veins. Her hands tremble and her eyes are wide. 'This is what a cat must feel like waiting to pounce on a mouse,' she laughs at herself.

There's an explosion in her brain... the good sort... the type that carries more possibilities than she can be conscious of... but there are hundreds of ideas there in that buzz of electricity... she can feel it. It's the calling card of adventure, of paths awaiting her feet. Whatever is ahead will be a great challenge, and there can be tears, but it's her adventure to take and so she smiles as _his_ image appears in her mind.

With only her carry on bag, she doesn't need to make a stop at the baggage carousel. While in flight, she texted Damon her arrival time, he said he'd be there to meet her. When she turns to look around for him, Damon steps from the shadows, stealing her breath and the heat from her skin.

Before she can draw in the air her body needs she melts into his form. She feels his firm torso and the heart that beats within. His hands fold around her back, drawing her in closer. Her body shakes, happy tears fill her eyes at just being in his arms.

Damon pulls his head back and wipes the tears with a calloused finger, even this roughness brings more relief than her heart can hold. He's devouring her with his eyes, running his hand through her hair, as if he can't quite believe she's not part of an almost forgotten dream. When he kisses her it's sweet, gentle, and it tastes of her tears.

She wants to speak but all she can do is croak, "I love you."

"I love you too," his mouth paints a soft smile before folding her in his arms again.

* * *

"Look there, one is poking its head out," Elena points to the prairie dog, then opens her flyer and reads to him. Their 'towns' can cover as much as 1,000 acres of prairie land. They consist of a series of connected underground burrows. It's subdivided into "wards" and they're further subdivided into "coteries." A coterie consists of one adult male, up to four females, and offspring up to two years of age," she pauses to smile at a couple of tiny ones.

"Prairie dogs within a ward greet each other with bared teeth, which is a kind of a "kiss" and a form of recognition."

"Isn't that sweet," Damon puckers his lips teasingly.

"Shut up," she smacks him playfully before continuing. "They feed on grass and herbs during the cool hours of the day. During this time, they also greet and groom each other. A "sentry" prairie dog always sits at the opening to a burrow keeping watch. A bark is sounded as a warning for all to dive into their burrows until the "all clear" signal is given."

"They seem to be really social animals," Damon rubs his arm where she smacked him.

"Oh stop it, I didn't hit you hard," she rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, you weren't on the receiving end," he arches an eyebrow.

"Fine," she leans over to kiss the spot. "All better now?"

"Much, but it hurts here too," he presses the pad of his index finger to his eyelid. Amused, she kisses it too.

"And here," he lightly pats his lower lip.

Elena laughs and leans forward. Her kiss is brief, just a peck really and still it obliterates every thought in his mind. A kiss like this is a beginning, a promise of much more to come...

* * *

Elena loves riding the bike. She hasn't been on one in so long, she forgot how much she enjoys it. Damon's beside her, they've ridden the bike path through the park and then they stopped to watch a kids baseball game for a few innings. Afterwards they stopped at a Starbucks to get a refresher before taking off again.

The wind is fresh, the sky is overcast and threatening storms but the fragrance is cleaner than newly washed laundry. In a few minutes their bikes are moving down the trail like they have motors, their legs moving up and down almost without effort over the flat ground. Ahead is the river and the bridge that arches so perfectly it must have been constructed with more math than she wants to think about right now.

As they head over it, they lean forward on the pedals, pushing down with their body weight. Then they coast to the loose shingle on the other side and bear left along the bank. Somewhere people are in offices, stressed, somewhere babies are being born but she has no power over any of that. She can enjoy the day and her time with Damon and let these moments sink into her memory to treasure forever.

The boom rolls across the valley, announcing the start of what the brooding cloud layer has promised since dawn. They begin to sprawl across the sky, billowing in from the west. The air grows heavy and the humidity presses down, suffocating. The scent of rain is dark and heady. A stillness falls over the atmosphere, and in the silence comes a low crackle of thunder and the pattering of tiny raindrops. For a moment, everything stops. Even the wind holds its breath. A streak of hot silver splits the sky, and the downpour begins.

Thunder comes like the prelude to a great song, impetuous rumbling permeating the air every bit as much as the sudden rain. At first it's a crack, violent to the ears, but after comes a rolling sound that dissipates into the surrounding hills.

They're not far from where Damon's staying so they quickly pedal home. They dump their bikes and secure them on the rack. He reaches out for her, stopping her from going inside. He cradles her cheeks as the rain runs down their faces to where their lips meet, each of them tasting the cold drops. Instead of detracting from the intensity of the moment it brings them to new heights. Damon pushes his lips in more firmly and the wave that runs through her is intoxicating, making her head swim as she pulls back to take in his ruggedly handsome face.

Then they are all push and pull, clawing at each other with a sort of animalistic need, like they won't be close enough until they are one. Damon's hands slide down the backs of her thighs and lift her to him, not breaking their kiss once. Elena immediately wraps her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. He starts to walk as the rain continues to soak them. Not that she cares. Her lips are too busy tasting every inch of skin within reach. His neck, chest, the hollow of his throat. Her hands fist into his shirt, holding onto him as if he's trying to get away.

Damon shifts her weight a bit and she hears the sound of a door first opening, then closing. Her back comes in contact with a wall and she unwraps her legs from around Damon's waist. His arousal rocks right into her core as her feet touch the floor. Her teeth sink into his bottom lip as pleasure rockets through her. When Damon tears his lips from hers, he's breathing just as heavily as she is. He slides his palms over her shirt, cupping her breasts in his hands.

"I love you," she tells him without hesitation.

"I love you, too," he replies huskily and then his lips are on hers again.

His hands fist the hem of her tank top and he wastes no time pulling it off, nearly ripping it in two in his haste to get to bare skin. His appreciative gaze is addicting. His lips capture hers again and the passion between them could surely set the house on fire. Before she knows it, her bra is somewhere across the room.

"Make me yours, Damon," she moans while his lips blaze a path from her jaw to her ear.

"Mine," he growls possessively. His voice sounds strangled, like he's holding onto his control by a thread. She wants to drive him as crazy for her as she is for him.

She pushes his shirt up his chest, letting her hands glide over his damp skin. He quickly loses patience, bends his arms to pull it off by the back of the neck and tosses it behind him. Her eyes rake over the newly exposed expanse of skin.

"I missed this," she practically purrs as she scrapes her fingernails down his chest. A shudder runs through his body and his breath catches as he falls forward against the wall, his forearms bracing himself on either side of her head. His breath is warm on her skin and goosebumps erupt when he drags his lips up her neck to suckle the spot right behind her ear.

"Damon," she whimpers as her trembling fingers pop open the button on his jeans and lower the zipper. The sound of it echoes in her ears and only makes her want him more. She slides her hand into his pants - pushes them down over his hips and wraps her hand around him. He's hot and heavy as she strokes his rigid flesh. Damon doesn't let that continue though, next thing she knows, he's pinning her wrists to the wall on either side of her head.

"I can't wait any longer."

He leans in close, so close that her bare breasts graze his chest with every one of her panting breaths. Both of their lips are parted. For a while they just stand there, staring into the other's eyes and breathing each other in. She closes the scant distance between their lips and Damon responds immediately.

He drops to his knees in front of her as he pulls off her boots and socks, letting them fall unceremoniously to the ground. He wastes no time in going for the button and zipper of her shorts. Elena holds onto his shoulders as he pulls them down her long svelte legs along with her panties, lifting one foot then the other so he can slip them off. She closes her eyes at the erotic picture of Damon kneeling before her.

His hands trail up the backs of her legs as he rises to his feet, lifting her thighs and letting her lock her ankles behind his back while he positions himself. His arms wrap around her waist, holding her flush against his chest and in one graceful push, he's inside.

Elena cries out and digs her nails into his shoulders to hold on while he sets a punishing rhythm. His grunts fill the room as he drives into her again and again. She can feel the tension building quickly, it's been so long since she's had him and never like this.

"I'm not going to last," he growls in her ear, his movements becoming more chaotic as he chases his release. His hands drop to her ass and his fingers sink into her flesh. When he changes the angle and hits her sweet spot, she's launched into the stratosphere in a blaze of white light and pops of color. She cries out his name as her body squeezes him and she can feel him pulse deep within her. Elena opens her eyes to see his head thrown back and his lips parted as he joins her in a sweet oblivion. Never has she seen anything more gorgeous and it makes her want more - every last piece of him.

Damon drops his head to the crook of her neck as they both float down from their simultaneous release. He slowly pulls out of her and she misses him the moment he's gone. Her legs flop toward the ground and if it wasn't for his arms around her, she'd be a boneless heap on the floor.

Damon's head slowly comes up and his blue eyes are bright and so full of love. "You're so beautiful," he whispers like he can't possibly say it enough. Like he's making up for all those months they spent apart. He bends down and sweeps her into his arms, cradling her against his chest.

"Let's go to bed," he says as he kisses her cheek and starts to move. Her arms remain around his neck and she begins to kiss every inch of bare flesh she can get her lips on. By the time he turns down the covers and lays her down, her need for him begins rising again. As Damon kicks off his boots and nearly rips off his socks, she sits up to finish what she started. She runs her hands over his stomach and dips them into his jeans to run them over his very fine ass. She lets them trail down the back of his thighs, taking his jeans with them. He shucks them the rest of the way off and she leans back to shamelessly admire him. Her eyes rakes over his strong shoulders, the corded muscles of his chest and abs and...his impressive length.

Elena looks up to find those blue eyes gazing at her. He dips his head and kisses her slowly, pouring all of his love into his kiss. It's intoxicating. He kneels between her legs as his lips blaze a path across her jaw and down her neck. She turns her head and moans at the sensation of his mouth on her skin. He nips and sucks his way across her collarbone and down her chest. Air hisses through her teeth when he takes one of her nipples into his mouth, cupping and kneading the other with his strong hand, reducing her to needy whimpers. He moves his mouth to her other breast until her body is bowing off the bed.

Elena opens her eyes to see his mass of black hair and feel his lips moving down her belly. He settles between her thighs and looks up as his tongue darts out and laves her tender flesh.

"Dear God," she cries as the pleasure rockets through her. Her eyes snap shut while his mouth and tongue do the most wonderful things. In no time, he has her thrashing on the bed with her fingers fisting in his hair as she tries to find her release. It remains elusive however because Damon knows just when to back off.

When he has her teetering on the edge of oblivion again, he pulls away completely. She actually growls at him. His only response is a throaty chuckle before covering her body with his. His erection is hot against her thigh.

"Damon," she whispers. He pulls back to look her in the eyes.

Letting out a shaky breath, he positions himself and when he rocks forward, she holds her breath, waiting for that moment when he completes them. But instead, he teases her, sliding himself across her slippery skin. She groans in frustration and flexes her fingers into his back, digging her nails in.

"Damon," she grumbles into his shoulder.

"I've got you," he replies right before he rolls them over, settling her on top.

Elena lowers herself slowly, letting herself adjust and when he's fully seated inside of her, she gasps at fire burning in his blue eyes.

"God, you're perfect," he groans from deep in his throat. She runs her hands over his chest before tangling her fingers with his, holding them next to his head on the mattress. She leans down and kisses him softly and then starts to move. Everything about this moment is perfect. Elena's eyes never once leave Damon's. Their parted lips brush with every roll of her hips.

Elena sits up, arching her back and crying out in pleasure. Damon follows, sitting up, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his lips to hers. The change in position is heady and she moans into his mouth, giving him the opportunity to slip his warm tongue past her teeth. She holds onto his shoulders, practically clawing at his flesh as he thrusts up. Her breath catches with every one, and her only focus is the feeling building inside.

"I'm close," Elena grips his shoulders even harder.

Damon moves his hands to her hips and rolls her beneath him. He braces his elbows on either side of her head and she wraps her legs around his waist as he starts to thrust again. His hips move like pistons, back and forth, soon becoming more erratic as his own release nears. One of his hands slides down her body, his fingertips caress that bundle of nerves again and again in perfect time with his thrusts.

His hair is damp, his eyes are squeezed shut, and his mouth is parted. She's fascinated watching his expressions, seeing what she does to him. With this image, her orgasm washes over her, a pleasure so intense that it's almost painful. Elena can feel her inner walls squeezing him. He drives into her one last time before he growls her name with his head thrown back.

He lets out a shaky breath before he collapses on top of her. She loves the feel of his weight pressing her into his mattress and she wraps herself around him, refusing to let him roll off of her. It takes several minutes, but their breathing finally evens out and Damon pushes himself up onto his elbows to look down at her. His fingers brush her damp hair off her face and then he cups her cheek in his warm palm, running his thumb over her bottom lip while her fingers dance up and down his sweat slicked back.

"I love you," he feels the need to declare it again. His adoring gaze makes her heart clench with unbridled happiness.

"I love you, too," Elena affirms without hesitation.

He smiles before giving her a chaste kiss and rolling off of her. She pouts dramatically - she still wants to cuddle - but it vanishes when he tugs down the covers, settles her between the sheets and pulls her to him. He lies on his side and she snuggles up to his chest, wrapping one arm around his waist as he throws one of his legs over hers. They are totally intertwined and for the first time in a very long while, she sleeps soundly.

* * *

_Chapter title: 'Kiss You All Over' by Exile._

_I posted the conclusion of 'Home Sweet Home' Tuesday. _

_The amazing Florencia7 started a "Homeland" story called "Warning Shots" if any of you are interested in that fandom._

_Thank you all, so much. Take care and we'll see you next for the final chapter. _


	24. Candle In The Wind

Two years later:

Elena stares at the precious little human in her arms. Her newborn baby smile is as sweet as a summer strawberry and fills her with a sunshine she never knew existed in the world. Hearing a rap on her hospital room door, she raises her eyes. "Come in."

"Hey," Enzo greets her, a bouquet of yellow roses in his hand.

"Enzo, they're beautiful, thank you," she watches as he sets them down among the myriad of other flower- filled vases, plants and cards.

"If she isn't a beauty," Enzo strokes her fat little cheek wispily with the back of his index finger before sitting at the foot of the bed.

"She really is," Elena's mesmerized by tiny fingers curling around her pinky. She watches her newborn peer through brand new eyes at what must be such a strange world after life in the womb. Her legs kick in a tiny jagged motion.

The sound of the door creaking once again demands Elena's attention. This time the man standing there is her lover, her soulmate, the man she married and the father of their daughter.

"I suppose I should give you two - three a little privacy," Enzo starts to stand.

"Oh no Detective, you don't have to leave. Surely your cohorts are capable of doing without you for a little while?"

"They absolutely are," Damon winks at Elena then lifts his baby girl to his shoulder. Tiny toes peek from her blanket. Her head, a crazy mass of dark curls. He can't believe how tiny new humans are, how vulnerable, how awe inspiring.

When newborn cries fill the room, her daddy tries to soothe her but he knows what she wants and hands her back to Elena.

"That's my signal to go. I'll see you, Elena." Enzo nods at Damon then leaves the room.

Through her exhaustion Elena smiles, exposes her breast and brings the baby to lay on her bare skin. Almost immediately her tiny girl begins to root, mouth wide, her instincts strong. The let-down part feels like a sharp, warm tingle in her breasts. Once the baby's latched on, she feels a little squeezing and gentle scraping from her tongue.

She wants to drink this moment in, this moment with her little girl in her hands. Her eyes are more brilliant than she could have dreamed they would be, her hands more delicate. She feels so light, looks so perfect and smells so divine.

Damon watches in awe. He'll be her protector, their protector for as long as he lives and his love for them will last till he takes his last breath and beyond.

* * *

It's mid morning, the sun is shining brilliantly, its glare is bright and cheerful. The weather is warm but not too hot, only a smattering of wisp-like clouds dot the sky. Wild flowers are blooming on the hilltops that surround the solemn place, it's a beautiful repose for those who have been laid to rest there. Elena takes Damon's hand as they slowly walk to her sister's grave.

The cemetery is cool and there is dew on the grass. The air is fresh and, unlike the unloved graves further away, here they are covered in bright blooms. She feels her eyes moistening as they walk the somber path, Damon's holding the baby carrier in one hand while clutching onto hers with the other.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he stops her for a moment.

"Yes, I need to," she smiles sadly but is grateful for his ever present concern for her.

She can recall the details of that day better than any birthday or Christmas, it's clearer in her mind than even last weekend. Seeing her like that is forever emblazoned in her mind, she'll never be able to forget the horror of finding her sister's body. Elena remembers how happy she was when she pulled into the driveway to tell Katherine all about her promotion. Now that horrific day will forever be one of melancholy and remembrance.

Here she is, again walking this stretch of grass but this time Elena has her husband and daughter to support her. Still being here floods her with raw emotion that swells at knowing her beloved sister will forever rest in this place. Her life could never be marked by a gravestone, something so cold and immobile - yet it is.

Upon reaching it, Elena nods at Damon then approaches it herself. Laying the spray of flowers on the earth beneath it, she runs her fingertip on Katherine's face, now permanently engraved into the marble along with her name.

"Hi Katherine. I'm sorry it's been a little while since I've been here. I hope you can forgive me, it just hurts to have to come here for a visit. But today is different, Katherine," she waves at Damon to join her.

"This is my husband Damon. He worked dilligently to bring you the justice and peace you so deserve." She's aware that many people worked together to bring their nightmare to a close but for her, Damon is one who really went above and beyond. "He's a good man," she reaches up to wipe the tears that are forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Hello Katherine," Damon unbuckles the safety belt, lifts their baby out of her carrier and hands her to Elena.

"We brought you a present. I know it's not your birthday yet or Christmas but I couldn't wait," she kisses her daughter's forehead then looks into the eyes of her sister's image, tears blurring her vision. "This is our baby girl, Katherine Rose Salvatore."

Damon lays his hands on her shoulders, his simple touch sends a wave of butterflies coursing through her veins, their fluttering wings easing the sadness that had settled inside her. "Let's go home," he whispers.

Elena secures baby Katherine in her carrier, takes her husband's hand and stands up. She lays her own on top of the smooth marble, squeezes her eyes shut and croaks, "Goodbye Katherine."

Nodding to Damon that she's ready, she hands him the baby, entwines their fingers and together they walk away...

* * *

Elena sighs after putting the final touches on the display table. There are pictures of Katherine graduating from the 8th grade with a beaming smile on her face and an arm around Elena. Another is the father -daughter dance with Ric. There's one from her junior prom wearing a chic off-the-shoulder mauvey-pink dress with a crown of flowers in her hair. Smiling, she picks up a smaller frame, it's the two of them swinging in the backyard. And then one of she and Katherine sitting in front of the Christmas tree surrounded by presents with Jeremy's head peeking out from behind it. And of course their Halloween as Aurora and Belle.

"Here you go," Damon hands her a vase full of peach colored roses - Katherine's favorite - to place on the table.

"You did a good job, the place looks fit for a celebration," he pulls his wife into a hug. She has the living room decorated with balloons and ribbons. She's had Katherine's favorite foods catered in and has invited their family to reminisce and celebrate her life.

"I think it looks good," her voice trails away when a cry comes from behind through the baby monitor.

"I'll get her, guests are arriving," he nods to the window where Nik, Camille, Noah, Nadia, Esther and Mikael are walking up the sidewalk towards their door.

"Thanks," she gives him a peck on the cheek, smiles when he darts up the stairs while she lets their guests in.

"Auntie Elena," Nadia runs to her.

"Hi, what a pretty dress you have and those pigtails," she winks at her.

"Hello Noah," Elena ruffles his curly blonde hair, so much like his dad's.

"Hi, can we go play in the yard?"

"I'll go with them. The place looks great, Elena. Katherine would be so pleased," Esther gives her a hug then leads the now four year olds outside.

"Nik, Camille, Mikael, please come in," she steps aside when Ric and Jenna appear then shuts the door behind them. "Have a seat, Damon went upstairs to get Katherine."

"There she is," Camille squeals and goes to take her from her father. "She's getting so big," she sits down and Nik takes the spot next to her, letting little Katherine wrap her fist around his finger.

With Jenna's help, Elena and Damon set out the food and call the twins inside, their guests fill their plates and offer their remembrances of her beloved sister. When they're done, Elena leads them outside. Damon comes to stand next to her holding a bunch of helium balloons.

"Thank you all for coming today to help me celebrate Katherine's life," she pauses a minute when her eyes start to mist. "I have a poem I'd like to read and then we'll release the balloons." She nods at Damon who distributes them.

"So go and run free with the angels - dance around the golden clouds – For the Lord has chosen you to be with him and we should feel, nothing but proud. Although He has taken you from us and our pain, a lifetime will last – Your memory will never escape us but make us glad for the time we did have," her voice cracks a bit and Damon takes her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

Taking a breath, she continues, "Your face will always be hidden deep inside our hearts – Each precious moment you gave us shall not, ever depart. So go and run free with the angels as they sing so tenderly – And please be sure to tell them to take good care of you, for me - for us." Damon takes her into his arms and rubs her back. Then the balloons are released, and begin to rise.

The sky is dappled by the clouds, a beautiful blue to commemorate the day. Elena lets her eyes gaze upward to follow the balloons as they ascend and dance in the breeze.

"This is for you, Katherine," she whispers as she takes her daughter from Esther and leans into her husband's warm embrace.

* * *

_"Here you are, Elena," Katherine hands her back the dolly after putting its hair in pigtails. She picks up her own and starts digging through the clothes, looking for a pretty dress. They're taking their baby dolls to the store today and then they're going to have a tea party with them and Aunt Jenna. _

_"Thanks, she looks so pretty," Elena twists the pigtail around her finger, her mouth opening when a blue dress comes flying in her face. _

_"Put that one on Annie, Nadia is going to wear the pink one." _

_"But I like pink," Elena pouts. _

_"I called it first," Katherine sticks just the tip of her tongue out at her little sister._

_"When we get big and have real babies, do you think we can play like this too?" Elena sticks a piece of red licorice in her mouth while looking at Katherine._

_Touched, Katherine scoots over to give her sister a hug. "I'd like that, Elena. I'd like that a lot..." _

_**"The valiant never taste death but once." William**__ **Shakespeare**_

* * *

_So we come to the end of another story. Thank you for joining us and for all your reviews and interactions, pm's. Never have I been so frustrated writing a story, Eva had to talk me out of deleting it more than a few times. I don't know why, maybe cause I wanted it to be 'short and sweet' but these characters insisted on having their stories told._

_Chapter title: 'Candle In The Wind' by Elton John._

_It's been such an honor to be part of this fandom, I - we have made so many friends and acquaintances. We cannot begin to says thanks to all of you amazing people for making my - our time here so special. Eva and I are very proud of the fact that each and every story is marked complete. Goodbye. _

_Have an amazing day. _


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